GB2534615A - A creepage protection assembly and a panel box/cabinet comprising the assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A creepage protection assembly comprises at least one leakage circuit breaker 17 such as a residual current circuit breaker with overcurrent protection (RCBO) and a base, wherein the neutral pole 14 and/or the functional earthing pole 15 of the leakage circuit breaker is provided with a pressure-contact connector to enable the circuit breaker to be plugged into a complementary connector provided on the base to at least partially reduce the use of cables and prevent incorrect cable connections. The circuit breaker may be connected to the base directly or via an adaptor or coupling member (127, figure 12).

Description

A Creepage Protection Assembly and A Panel Box/Cabinet Comprising The Assembly

Technical Field

The present invention involves a creepage protection assembly and a panel box/cabinet including said assembly, and, more specifically, involves a leakage circuit breaker and a base with which the breaker is used, as well as an optional coupling member. The present invention further involves a panel box/cabinet including the leakage circuit breaker and the base.

Background

There is already exited a Residual Current operated circuit Breaker with electronic Overcurrent protection of Phase-Neutral type (Ph-N RCBO, namely leakage circuit breaker) in prior art. The neutral line of this kind of switches carries no capacity to implement connection and/or disconnection, and has a functional earthing pole (PE-FE pole). During its installation process, this kind of switches needs to connect the neutral pole (i.e. N phase) to a neutral pole of power supply, and connect the PE-FE pole to a grounding line.

A neutral pole /PE-FE pole of traditional leakage circuit breakers connects to external electrical equipment using cables in order to achieve electrical conductivity, and it requires users to connect cables of the neutral pole and the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breakers with a corresponding neutral pole busbar and a corresponding PE-FE pole connecting-post of the power supply. When the panel box/cabinet including multiple leakage circuit breakers, enormous neutral pole /PE-FE pole cables needs to be connected, and the installation process would be quite time-consuming due to cable connection. Installation of the leakage circuit breakers in the panel box/cabinet would be cumbersome, and cable routing in the panel box/cabinet would be fairly messy, with a high maintenance cost and a protection level that would be hard to improve. In addition, because of the there is a large amount of cables to be connected, cable connection problems potentially leads to a possibility of reversal of connection of PE-FE pole and neutral pole, and thereby leads to unforeseeable accident, even causes dangers.

For this reason, it is necessary to bring up a simple neutral pole/PE-FE pole connecting configuration such that fitting leakage circuit breakers into a panel box/cabinet to connect cables would be convenient and simple without making mistakes, and thus improve overall protection level of the panel box.

Summary

The present invention is intended to propose a creepage protection assembly, which overcomes foregoing drawbacks, and devises a simple connection configuration, such that the assembly is be easy to install and use at the user's end and increase the reliability of installation.

The present invention involves a creepage protection assembly, in which the creepage protection assembly including at least one leakage circuit breaker and a base, wherein the leakage circuit breaker is provided with a pressure-contact connector (can be referred as to first and/or third pressure-contact connector respectively) on its neutral pole and/or PE-FE pole, and the base is also provided with a pressure-contact connector (can be referred to as second and/or fourth pressure-contact connector respectively) on its neutral pole and/or PE-FE pole, wherein the neutral pole and/or PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker is connected with the neutral pole and/or PE-FE pole of the base, respectively.

By arranging the pressure-contact connectors on the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker, and arranging the pressure-contact connectors on the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole on the base, which are connected with the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker, respectively, cables used for connecting between the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker and power supply is at least partially saved, so that the connection between the creepage protection circuit and the base becomes simple without needing to connect each cable manually, that the installation of the leakage circuit breaker becomes easy, that installation time for the leakage circuit breaker is saved, that labor cost is lowered, and that rapid connection/disconnection of the neutral pole and/or PE-FE pole can be implemented.

Preferably, the pressure-contact connector on the neutral pole and/or PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker can be mated with a mating pressure-contact connector only in a specified direction, and thus potential connection errors during installation process of the leakage circuit breaker are prevented and reliability of connections during installation and maintenance is improved.

Preferably, the leakage circuit breaker is also provided with a pressure-contact connector at the inlet of phase lines, and the base is also provided with a corresponding pressure-contact connector at the inlet of phase lines. The configuration replaces cables needed for incoming phase line connections, and further simplifies installation process.

Preferably, the pressure-contact connectors on a plurality of PE-FE poles of the base are collectively arranged on a PE-FE pole busbar, and/or the pressure-contact connectors on the neutral poles of the base are collectively arranged on a neutral pole busbar. Integrating the plurality of PE-FE poles into the PE-FE pole busbar and/or integrating the plurality of neutral poles into the neutral pole busbar further simplifies the configuration of the PE-FE pole and/or neutral pole of the base, and can contribute to further simplification of the installation process.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the pressure-contact connectors on the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker and the pressure-contact connectors on the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base are mated directly.

Preferably, in the embodiment, the pressure-contact connectors on the neutral pole, the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker are formed as a neutral pole jaw and/or a neutral pole connecting-blade, a PE-FE pole connecting-insert and/or a PE-FE pole collet, respectively; whereas the pressure-contact connectors on the neutral pole, the PE-FE pole of the base are formed as a neutral pole base connection-blade and/or a neutral pole base jaw mated with the neutral pole jaw and/or the neutral pole connecting-blade, and a PE-FE pole base collet and/or a PE-FE pole base connection-insert mated with the PE-FE pole connecting-insert and/or the PE-FE pole collet, respectively; and the leakage circuit breaker being inserted in the base.

Preferably, there is a plurality of leakage circuit breakers, and the plurality of leakage circuit breakers are arranged side by side, so that a plurality of PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or the PE-FE pole collets are arranged side by side on the plurality of leakage circuit breakers; a plurality of PE-FE pole base collet and/or PE-FE pole base connection-inserts corresponding to the plurality of PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or PE-FE pole collets are arranged side by side on the base; and/or the plurality of neutral pole jaws and/or neutral pole connecting-blades are arranged side by side on the plurality of leakage circuit breakers, and a plurality of neutral pole base connection-blades and/or neutral pole base jaws corresponding to the neutral pole jaws and/or the neutral pole connecting-blades are arranged side by side on the base.

This connection configuration is advantageous when a plurality of leakage circuit breakers are used. When the plurality of leakage circuit breakers is in use, there is a plurality of PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or PE-FE pole collets, as well as a plurality of neutral pole jaws and/or neutral pole-connecting-blades. They are arranged side by side, and are connected with the plurality of PE-FE pole base collets and/or PE-FE pole base connecting-inserts as well as the plurality of neutral pole base connecting-blades and/or neutral pole base jaws that are arranged side by side in the base. By designing their arrangement, the plurality of PE-FE pole connection-inserts and/or PE-FE pole collets as well as the plurality of neutral pole connecting-blades and/or neutral pole jaws of the plurality of leakage circuit breakers can connect with the plurality of PE-FE pole base collets and/or PE-FE pole base connection-inserts as well as the plurality of neutral pole base connecting-blades and/or neutral pole base jaws in a specified direction, and thus incorrect connections and insertions are effectively prevented.

Preferably, the leakage circuit breaker is provided with a PE-FE pole connecting-insert on the bottom of an end, and a PE-FE pole base collet used for mating with the PE-FE pole connecting-insert is provided on the base. There is a plurality of leakage circuit breakers, and the plurality of the leakage circuit breakers are arranged side by side, either continuously or discontinuously, and thereby, the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts are arranged side by side, either continuously or discontinuously. A plurality of PE-FE pole base collets are arranged side by side on the base to grip the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts, and/or the leakage circuit breaker is provided with a neutral pole jaw on the bottom of an end, and a neutral pole base connecting-blade used for mating with the neutral pole jaw is arranged on the base. The neutral pole jaws are arranged side by side, either continuously or discontinuously. A plurality of neutral pole base connecting-blades are arranged side by side on the base, in order to mate with the neutral pole jaws in a fixed way.

Preferably, the plurality of PE-FE pole base collets are arranged side by side on the PE-FE pole busbar, the PE-FE pole busbar electrically connects electrical equipment by using a connecting-sheet; and/or the plurality of neutral pole base connecting-blades are arranged on the neutral pole busbar.

Preferably, the base additionally comprises a basis and a cap. The PE-FE pole busbar and/or the neutral pole busbar is accommodated and located in the basis. The cap covers the basis. The cap is provided with holes, and the holes are used to receive the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or the neutral pole jaws. The holes also direct the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or the neutral pole jaws to mate with the corresponding PE-FE pole base collets and/or neutral pole base connecting-blade, respectively.

The configuration in which the PE-FE pole busbar and/or the neutral pole busbar is accommodated and located in the basis, and in which the cap covers the basis and is provided with the holes for receiving the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or the neutral pole jaws and directing the connection and the mating of the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or the neutral pole jaws with corresponding PE-FE pole base collets and/or neutral base connecting-blades, is advantageous in the connection and mating of the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or neutral pole jaws with the corresponding PE-FE pole base collets and/or neutral pole base connecting-blades, and prevents incorrect connections and insertions from occurring.

Preferably, the leakage circuit breaker further comprises a connecting lock, which is used to lock the leakage circuit breaker onto the base.

Arranging the connecting lock on the leakage circuit breaker can firmly lock the leakage circuit breaker onto the base, which prevents potential movements of the leakage circuit breaker that may occur during its running.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, the leakage circuit breaker further comprises a coupling member, wherein the pressure-contact connector on the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker and the pressure-contact connector on the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base are connected by using the coupling member. The coupling member includes a neutral pole and/or a PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector (can be referred to as a fifth and/or a seventh pressure-contact connector) for mating with the pressure-contact connectors of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker (i.e. a first and/or a third pressure-contact connector), and a neutral pole and/or a PE-FE pole pressure-contact connectors (can be referred to as a sixth and/or an eighth pressure-contact connector) for mating with the pressure-contact connectors of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base (i.e. a second and/or a fourth pressure-contact connector).

Preferably, the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker and the pressure-contact of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base are at a first angle when the assembly is assembled. The pressure-contact connector of the coupling member for mating with the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker and the pressure-contact connector of the coupling member for mating with the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base are at a second angle when the assembly is assembled. The first angle and the second angle are supplementary, so that the leakage circuit breaker can connect with the base by using the coupling member.

The first angle can be any angle, and preferably, it equals to 90' . Preferably, the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker is formed as a neutral pole and/or a PE-FE pole socket, whereas the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the coupling member for mating with the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker is formed as a neutral pole and/or a PE-FE connecting-blade.

Preferably, the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base is formed as a neutral pole and/or a PE-FE pole connecting-insert, whereas the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the coupling member for mating with the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base is formed as the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole collet.

Preferably, the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker is arranged so that the leakage circuit breaker can mate with the coupling member only in one direction, and/or the pressure-contact connector of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base is arranged so that the base can also mate with the coupling member only in one direction.

Preferably, the base comprises a basis, and the plurality of PE-FE poles are integrated in the PE-FE pole busbar, and/or the plurality of neutral poles are integrated in the neutral pole busbar, the neutral pole bubar and/or the PE-FE pole busbar being arranged on the basis.

The present invention further provides a panel box/cabinet, wherein the panel box/cabinet comprises said leakage circuit breaker described above.

Preferably, the panel box/cabinet further comprises: ding rails, a busbar means, and electrical equipment. The electrical equipment is arranged on the ding rails, and the electrical equipment is electrically connected with the leakage circuit breaker. The end of the leakage circuit breaker where the PE-FE pole connecting-insert and the neutral pole jaw are arranged is electrically connected with the electrical equipment. The end of the leakage circuit breaker where the PE-FE pole connecting-insert and the neutral pole jaw are arranged is inserted in the base, and the base is inserted in the busbar means.

Preferably, the basis of the base is fixed to the panel box/cabinet, and the panel box/cabinet is conductively connected with the PE-FE pole.

Preferably, the creepage protection assembly is symmetrically or asymmetrically arranged at both sides of the electrical equipment.

In summary, the present invention is advantageous in that it 1) makes installation process convenient, saves installation rime, and lowers labor cost; 2) prevents incorrect cable connection, and improves reliability of installation and maintenance; and 3) enhances overall protection level of the panel box/cabinet up to 1P2x.

The present invention improves existing products, has the neutral pole and/or PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker provided with the pressure-contact connector, and as such, decreases usage of the cables, promotes fast installation of the leakage circuit breaker with respect to that in the prior art, and prevents incorrect cable connections.

Additionally, in accordance with the panel box/cabinet of the present invention, the leakage circuit breaker or the coupling member can be unplugged from the base directly during disassembling, which further eases its disassemble process.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following description of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention, given for illustration rather than limitation, as shown in the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an illustration of connecting a power supply with a creepage protection assembly

by using cables in the prior art;

Figure 2 is an illustration of the structure of the leakage circuit breaker of the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the leakage circuit breaker comprises the incoming phase line pressure-contact connector, the neutral pole pressure-contact connector, and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector; Figure 3 is an illustration of the wiring among multiple leakage circuit breakers shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective illustration of the leakage circuit breaker in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a perspective illustration of the leakage circuit breaker n accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention from another view; Figure 6 is an exploded illustration of the base of the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a perspective illustration of the base of the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, in which the base is being partially assembled; Figure 8 is a perspective illustration of connection of the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention and the electrical equipment; Figure 9 is another perspective illustration of the connection of the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention and the electrical equipment from another view; Figure 10 is a perspective illustration of another structure of the connection of the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention and the electrical equipment; Figure 11 is an exploded illustration of connection of the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention and the electrical equipment which are connected in the way shown in Figure 10; Figure 12 is an illustration of the structure of the coupling member and the leakage circuit breaker in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the leakage circuit breaker comprises the incoming phase lines, the neutral pole and/or PE-FE pole pressure-contact connectors, the coupling member comprising a neutral pole and PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector for mating with the neutral pole and PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the leakage circuit breaker, and comprising a neutral pole and PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector for mating with the neutral pole and PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the base; Figure 13 is an illustration of installation of the leakage circuit breaker and the coupling member shown in Figure 12; Figure 14 is a partially exploded illustration of the leakage circuit breaker, coupling member and the base in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 15 is a perspective illustration of connection of the base and the coupling member in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 16 is an enlarged perspective illustration of the pressure-contact connector n accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 17 is an exploded illustration of the base and the coupling member of the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 18 is an exploded illustration of the base and the coupling member of the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 19 is an illustration of the structure of the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of the reference numerals in the appended drawings: 1 cap 2 shroud cover 3, 103 PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the base fourth pressure-contact connector 3' PE-FE pole base collet 103' PE-FE pole base connecting-insert 4, 104' PE-FE pole busbar screw 6 connecting-sheet 7, 107 neutral pole pressure-contact connector of the base second pressure-contact connector 7' neutral pole base connecting-blade 107' neutral pole base connecting-insert 8, 108 basis 9 equipment connecting-blade screw 11 screw 12 machine connecting-blade 13 connecting lock 14, 114, 214 neutral pole pressure-contact connector of the leakage circuit breaker first pressure-contact connector 14' neutral pole jaw 114' neutral pole socket 15, 115 PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the leakage circuit breaker third pressure-contact connector 15' PE-FE pole connecting-insert 115' PE-FE pole socket 16, 116 neutral pole busbar 17, 117, 217 leakage circuit breaker 18 electrical equipment 19 ding rail terminal 21, 121 incoming phase line pressure-contact connector 122 PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the coupling member for mating with the leakage circuit breaker seventh pressure-contact connector 122' PE-FE pole connecting-blade 123 neutral pole pressure-contact connector of the coupling member for mating with the leakage circuit breaker fifth pressure-contact connector 123' neutral pole connecting-blade 124 PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the coupling member for mating with the base eighth pressure-contact connector 124' PE-FE pole collet neutral pole pressure-contact connector of the coupling member for mating with the base sixth pressure-contact connector 125' neutral pole collet 26, 26' incoming phase line busbar 127 coupling member 28 busbar protection cover

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The creepage protection assembly and the panel box/cabinet including the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 19.

Figure 1 shows an illustration of the connection of power supply and the leakage circuit breaker by using cables in the prior art. It can be seen that using cable to connect makes connection route longer, and the corresponding panel box has a large number of cables and joints therein. Also, cable installation requires stripping off cables and establishing connection, which lowers installation efficiency and elongates installation time. Additionally, since connecting cables manually is required, there are risks of connecting PE-FE pole lines to a neutral pole, and connecting neutral lines to a PE-FE pole. Meanwhile, the large number of cables and joints in the distribution block lowers protection level of the creepage protection assembly and the panel box including such an assembly.

The present invention can overcome the mentioned drawbacks in the prior art. Following is detailed description of the solution brought up by the present invention by using three embodiments provided as non-limiting examples, with reference to Figures 2-19.

Figures 2-11 show the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an illustration of the leakage circuit breaker 17 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the leakage circuit breaker 17 comprises an incoming phase line pressure-contact connector 21, a neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14, and a PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15. Terminals 20 are connected to load.

Figure 3 shows an illustration of connecting multiple leakage circuit breakers shown in Figure 2 to power circuit, wherein there could be any number of the leakage circuit breakers in the circuit, for example, 6 leakage circuit breakers as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 4 shows a perspective illustration of the leakage circuit breaker 17 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 shows another perspective illustration of the leakage circuit breaker 17 from another view. In the example, the leakage circuit breaker 17 comprises the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14 and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15, without the incoming phase line pressure-contact connector.

As shown in Figure 4 and 5, the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14 and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15 are arranged on the bottom of one end of the leakage circuit breaker 17. The neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14 is formed as a neutral pole jaw 14', whereas the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15 is formed as a PE-FE pole connecting-insert 15'.

Alternatively, the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14 and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15 can be arranged at any position of the leakage circuit breaker 17, depending on specific needs. Also, alternatively, the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14 can be formed as the neutral pole connecting-blade, and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15 can be formed as the PE-FE pole collet; or the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14 and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15 can be formed as any other pressure-contact connectors.

Moreover, the leakage circuit breaker further comprises a connecting lock 13 that is used for firmly locking the leakage circuit breaker 17 onto the base. Having the connecting lock 13 arranged on the leakage circuit breaker 17 can lock the leakage circuit breaker firmly on the base, preventing any potential movement during running of the leakage circuit breaker.

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective illustration of the base of the leakage circuit breaker. Figure 7 is a perspective illustration of the leakage circuit breaker 17 and the base that are partially assembled. Figure 8 is a perspective illustration of the connection of the leakage circuit breaker 17 and the electrical equipment. The creepage protection assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises at least one leakage circuit breaker 17 and a base, the leakage circuit breaker 17 being inserted in the base (the structure after it being inserted in the base is shown in Figure 8). In the present embodiment, the leakage circuit breaker comprises the PE-FE pole connecting-insert 15', and the neutral pole jaw 14'. Correspondingly, the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 3 on the base is formed as a PE-FE pole base collet 3' for mating with the PE-FE pole connecting-insert 15', and the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 7 on the base is formed as a neutral pole base connecting-blade 7' for mating with the neutral pole jaw 14', wherein the base is used to electrically connect to the circuit that uses the leakage circuit breaker 17. Usually, the base connects to other electrical equipment outside.

Alternately, when the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14 and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15 of the leakage circuit breaker 17 are formed as the neutral pole connecting-blade and the PE-FE pole collet, respectively, the base is provided with the corresponding neutral pole base jaw and the corresponding PE-FE pole base connecting-insert. Or alternatively, the base can be formed to have any other forms of pressure-contact connectors that can be mated with corresponding neutral pole pressure-contact connector 14 and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 15 of the leakage circuit breaker 17. However, although other kinds of pressure-contact connectors of the leakage circuit breaker and base are not shown in the figures, this kind of design can implement the purpose of the present invention, and is apparent to those skilled people in the art, and thus also falls into the protection scope of the present invention.

According to the creepage protection assembly of the present invention, the configuration in which using the PE-FE pole connecting-insert and/or the PE-FE pole collet on the leakage circuit breaker to connect with the PE-FE pole base collet and/or the PE-FE pole base connecting-insert on the base and using the neutral pole jaw and/or the neutral pole connecting-blade on the leakage circuit breaker to connect with the neutral pole base connecting-blade and/or the neutral pole base jaw on the base instead of using cables to connect the PE-FE pole and the neutral pole of the leakage circuit breaker and the base as in the prior art, and in which the base is used to electrically connect to the circuit that uses the leakage circuit breaker, makes connection between the neutral pole/PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker and the circuit that uses the leakage circuit breaker easier, without needing to connect each of cables, and eliminates potential connecting mistakes that would otherwise be made. Particularly, it is possible to design any other arrangements of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector of the base and of the leakage circuit breaker to effectively prevent incorrect connections and insertions, as long as the plurality of PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or PE-FE pole collets, as well as the plurality of neutral pole jaws and/or neutral pole connecting-blades of the plurality of leakage circuit breakers can connect with the plurality of PE-FE pole base collets and/or PE-FE pole base connecting-inserts, as well as the plurality of neutral pole base connecting-blades and/or neutral pole base jaws only in a specific direction.

Furthermore, it can be seen from the arrangement of the base that the plurality of leakage circuit breakers can be inserted in the base. Although not shown in the figures, it is explicitly evident that the leakage circuit breaker according to the present invention can be in the plural, and that the leakage circuit breakers can be arranged side by side continuously or discontinuously, so that the plurality of PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or PE-FE pole collets are arranged side by side continuously or discontinuously, and that the plurality of neutral pole jaws and/or neutral pole connecting-blades are arranged side by side continuously or discontinuously. The base is provided side by side with the corresponding plurality of PE-FE pole base collets and/or PE-FE pole base connecting-blades, and with the corresponding plurality of neutral pole base connecting-blades and/or neutral pole base jaws, the multiple leakage circuit breakers being inserted in the base.

This kind of connection configuration is especially advantageous in the situation where a plurality of leakage circuit breakers is used. Since there are plurality of PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and/or PE-FE pole collets and plurality of neutral pole jaws and/or neutral pole connecting-blades that are arranged side by side, and connected with the corresponding plurality of PE-FE pole base collets and/or PE-FE pole base connecting-inserts and the plurality of neutral pole base connecting-blades and/or neutral pole base jaws arranged side by side in the base, it is possible to effectively prevent incorrect connections and insertions by designing the arrangement of the plurality of leakage circuit breakers.

As shown in Figure 6, the plurality of PE-FE pole base collets 3' are arranged side by side on busbar 4, and the base collets 3' are used to grip the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts 15'. The grip between the collects and the inserts assures reliable electrical connection between the base collets 3' and the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts 15'. The PE-FE pole busbar 4 connects with other electrical equipment outside by using a connecting-sheet 6. The plurality of neutral pole base connecting-blades 7' are arranged on a neutral pole busbar 16.

As shown in Figure 6, the base further comprises a basis 8 and a cap I. In the present embodiment, there are a plurality of caps. It is also possible to use only a single integrated cap. The PE-FE pole busbar 4 and the neutral pole busbar 16 are accommodated and fixed in the basis 8. The cap 1 covers the basis 8, and is provided with multiple holes therein, which are used to receive the PE-FE pole connecting-blades and the neutral pole jaws. The holes further direct the PE-FE pole connecting-blades and the neutral pole jaws to connect and mate with the corresponding PE-FE pole base collets and neutral pole base connecting-blades, respectively.

The configuration in which the PE-FE pole busbar 4 and the neutral pole busbar 16 are accommodated the fixed in the basis 8, and in which the cap I covers the basis 8 and is provided with multiple holes therein for receiving the PE-FE pole connecting-blades and the neutral pole jaws and directing the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and the neutral pole jaws to mate with corresponding PE-FE pole base collets and the neutral pole base connecting-blades, respectively, is advantageous in directing the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and neutral pole jaws to mate with the corresponding PE-FE pole base collets and neutral pole base connecting-blades, respectively, and preventing incorrect connections and insertions from occurring.

Figure 9 is a perspective illustration of the connection between the creepage protection assembly and the electrical equipment from another view, in which an incoming phase line busbar 26 of the assembly is integrated in the basis. Figure 10 is a perspective illustration of another configuration of the connection between the creepage protection assembly and the electrical equipment. Figure 11 is an exploded view of the connection shown in Figure 10. The designs of the leakage circuit breaker and the base of the connections of the alterations shown in Figures 10 and 11 are substantially identical, and they are different in that the connection shown in Figure 10 further comprise a busbuar protection cover 28 separate from the incoming phase line busbar 26'. These two different connections are used to adapt requirements of different regions/countries. Similarly, any other qualified connections between the creepage protection assembly and the electrical equipment can be made in accordance with specific requirements of applications.

Figure 12 is an illustration of a coupling member 127 and a leakage circuit breaker 117 in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention. A major difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment of the present invention is that the creepage protection assembly further comprises a coupling member 127, wherein pressure-contact connectors 114, 115 of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker are connected with pressure-contact connectors 107, 103 of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base by using the coupling member 127. The leakage circuit breaker 117 comprises an incoming phase line pressure-contact connector 121, the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 114 and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 115. The coupling member 127 comprises neutral pole and PE-FE pole pressure-contact connectors 123, 122 for mating with the neutral pole and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connectors 114, 115 of the leakage circuit breaker, and neutral pole and PE-FE pole pressure-contact connectors 125, 124 for mating with the neutral pole and the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connectors 107, 103 of the base.

Figure 13 is an illustration of installation of the leakage circuit breaker 117 and the coupling member 127 shown in Figure 12, wherein there can be any number of the leakage circuit breakers 117 and the coupling members 127 in the circuit, for example, 2 leakage circuit breakers 117 as shown in Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a perspective illustration of the leakage circuit breaker 117, the coupling member 127 and the base that are partially assembled. Figure 15 is a perspective illustration of the connection between the coupling member 127 and the base. Figure 17 is an exploded illustration of the connection between the coupling member 127 and the base. The coupling member 127 comprises a PE-FE pole and a neutral pole pressure-contact connector 122, 123 for mating with the PE-FE pole and the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 115, 114 of the leakage circuit breaker 117, and the PE-FE pole and the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 124, 125 for mating with the PE-FE pole and the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 103, 107 of the base. The PE-FE pole and the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 122, 123 are formed as connecting-blade 122', 123', whereas the PE-FE pole and the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 124, 125 are formed as collectors 124', 125'. The coupling member 127 is inserted in a basis 108.

Figure 16 is an enlarged illustration of the pressure-contact connector of the leakage circuit breaker 117, wherein the leakage circuit breaker 117 comprises the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 115 and the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 114, and both of which are formed as sockets 115', 114'.

Alternatively, the pressure-contact connectors 115, 114 and the pressure-contact connectors 122, 123 can be formed as any other forms that can be mated to each other. The pressure-contact connectors 124, 125 and the pressure-contact connectors 103, 107 can be formed as any other forms that can be mated to each other.

The pressure-contact connectors 115, 114 of the leakage circuit breaker 117 and the pressure-contact connectors 103, 107 of the base are at a first angle when the assembly is assembled. The PE-FE pole and/or the neutral pole pressure-contact connectors 122, 123 of the coupling member 127 for mating with the pressure-contact connectors 115, 114 of the PE-FE pole and/or the neutral pole of the leakage circuit breaker, and the PE-FE pole and/or the neutral pole pressure-contact connectors 124, 125 of the coupling member 127 for mating with the pressure-contact connectors 103, 107 of the PE-FE pole and/or the neutral pole of the base are at a second angle, the first angle and the second angle being supplemental, so that the leakage circuit breaker can be connected with the base by using the coupling member. The first angle (and the second angle) can be any degrees, in order to satisfy specified conditions and requirements of installation. In the present embodiment, the first angle is 90 degrees, such that the coupling member 127 is used as right angle connector as the same time.

Figure 17 is an exploded illustration of the coupling member 127 and the base. Figure 18 is another exploded illustration of the coupling member 127 and the base from another view. The base comprises the PE-FE pole pressure-contact connector 103 and the neutral pole pressure-contact connector 107, and they are formed as base connecting-inserts 103' and 107', respectively. A plurality of PE-FE pole pressure-contact connectors 103 is arranged side by side on a PE-FE pole busbar 104, and a plurality of neutral pole pressure-contact connectors 107 is arranged side by side on a neutral pole busbar 116. In addition, the base further comprises the basis 108, wherein the PE-FE pole busbar 104 and the neutral pole busbar 116 are both accommodated and fixed in at the basis 108. The base further comprises a cap 101 that covers the basis 108.

Additionally, as can be seen in Figure 18, the pressure-contact connectors 122, 123 and 124, 125 on the coupling member are misaligned in two directions in purpose, so that the pressure-contact connectors 114, 115 of the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker 117 are arranged as being able to mate with the corresponding pressure-contact connectors 123, 122 on the coupling member only in one direction, and that the pressure-contact connectors 107, 103 on the neutral pole and/or the PE-FE pole of the base are also arranged as being able to mate with the corresponding pressure-contact connectors 125, 124 on the coupling member 127 only in one direction. This further prevents incorrect connections between the neutral pole and the PE-FE pole, and improves safety level.

Figure 19 shows an illustration of a configuration of the creepage protection assembly in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention, in which a pressure-contact connector 214 being only provided on the neutral pole of the leakage circuit breaker 217, whereas the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker being still connected to the basis by using cables. Alternatively, it would not be difficult for those skilled people in the art to obtain a solution in which only the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker 217 being provided with a pressure-contact connector, and in which neutral pole being connected to the basis still by using cables.

Such a solution keeps flexibility of connecting by cables while simplifying the connection between the leakage circuit breaker and the base, so that operators can configure an arrangement according to specific needs during installation, while preventing incorrect connections at the same time.

The present invention further provides a panel box/cabinet, which comprises the above-mentioned creepage protection assembly. The structure of the whole panel box/cabinet is not shown in the drawings. Nevertheless, a portion of the structure of this kind of panel box/cabinet is shown in Figure 8.

As shown in Figure 8, the panel box/cabinet further comprises: ding rails 19, a busbar means (not shown), and electrical equipment 18. The electrical equipment 18 is arranged on the ding rails, and is connected with the leakage circuit breaker 17. An end of the leakage circuit breaker 17 where the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and the neutral pole jaws are provided is connected with the electrical equipment 18. An end of the leakage circuit breaker 17 where the PE-FE pole connecting-inserts and the neutral pole jaws are provided is inserted in the base, the base being inserted in the busbar means. An equipment connecting-blade 9 is used to connect the base with other equipment, and a machine connecting-blade 12 is used to connect a plurality of the base together.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the creepage protection assembly is arranged at both sides of the electrical equipment 18 symmetrically. Certainly, the creepage protection assembly can be connected with the electrical equipment only at one side, or asymmetrically at both sides.

The panel box/cabinet according to the present invention is convenient in connecting the leakage circuit breaker with electrical equipment that the leakage circuit breaker supposes to protect, without complicated cable connection process, and effectively eliminates, or even avoids incorrect connections. Moreover, being able to unplug the leakage circuit breaker or the coupling member from the basis further simplifies disassembling process.

Above is detailed description of the present invention. Pursuant to the idea of the present invention, any modifications to the specific embodiments and the scope of application shall not be considered as departing from the protection scope of the present invention. In conclusion, the description of this specification shall not be perceived as limitation to the present invention.

Claims (22)

1. Claims 1. A creepage protection assembly, comprising at least one leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217) and a base, wherein the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217) and the base both comprise a neutral pole and an PE-FE pole, and both of the neutral pole and the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217) are electrically connected with the neutral pole and the PE-FE pole, respectively, characterized in that: the creepage protection assembly further comprises: a first pressure-contact connector (14; 114; 214), which is arranged on the neutral pole of the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217), a second pressure-contact connector (7; 107), which is arranged on the neutral pole of the base, and is used to be electrically connected to the first pressure-contact connector, and/or the creepage protection assembly further comprises: a third pressure-contact connector (15; 115), which is arranged on the PE-FE pole of the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217), a fourth pressure-contact connector (3; 103), which is arranged on the PE-FE pole of the base, and is used to be electrically connected to the third pressure-contact connector.
2. 2. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that: the leakage circuit breaker (17) mates with the base directly, so that the first pressure-contact connector (14) mates with the second pressure-contact connector (7) directly, and/or that the third pressure-contact connector (15) mates with the fourth pressure-contact connector (3) directly.
3. 3. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the creepage protection assembly further comprises a coupling member (127), the leakage circuit breaker (117) is mated with the base by using the coupling member (127), wherein the coupling member (127) comprises a fifth pressure-contact connector (123) and a sixth pressure-contact connector (125), the fifth pressure-contact connector being mated with the first pressure-contact connector directly, the sixth pressure-contact connector being mated with the second pressure-contact connector directly, and/or the coupling member (127) comprises a seventh pressure-contact connector (122) and an eighth pressure-contact connector (124), the seventh pressure-contact connector and the third pressure-contact connector being mated directly, the eighth pressure-contact connector and the fourth pressure-contact connector being mated directly.
4. 4. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: the creepage protection assembly further comprises: a ninth pressure-contact connector (21; 121), which is arranged at the inlet of an incoming phase line of the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217), a tenth pressure-contact connector, which is arranged at the inlet of an incoming phase line of the base, and is connected to the ninth pressure-contact connector
5. 5. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1-3, characterized in: that a plurality of the second pressure-contact connector (7; 107) are collectively arranged on a neutral pole busbar (16; 116), and/or that a plurality of the fourth pressure-contact connector (3; 103) are collectively arranged on an PE-FE pole busbar (4; 104).
6. 6. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: the first and/or the third pressure-contact connector (14, 15; 114, 115) can be mated with a mating pressure-contact connector only in one direction.
7. 7. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 3, characterized in: that the first and/or the third pressure-contact connector (114, 115) is arranged so that it can be mated with the fifth and/or the seventh pressure-contact connectors (123, 122) only in one direction, and/or that the second and/or the fourth pressure-contact connector (107, 103) is arranged so that it can be mated with the sixth and/or the eighth pressure-contact connectors (125, 124) only in one direction.
8. 8. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1-3, characterized in: that the first and/or the third pressure-contact connector (14, 15; 114, 115) is formed as a neutral pole jaw (14') and/or a neutral pole connecting-blade, an PE-FE pole connecting-insert (15') and/or an PE-FE pole collet, that the second and/or the fourth pressure-contact connector (7, 3; 107, 103) is formed as a neutral pole base connecting-blade (7') and/or a neutral pole base jaw, an PE-FE pole base collet (3') and/or an PE-FE pole base connecting-insert.
9. 9. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 3, characterized in: that the first and/or the third pressure-contact connector (114, 115) is formed as a neutral pole and/or an PE-FE pole sockets (114', 115'), and that the fifth and/or the seventh pressure-contact connector (123, 122) is formed as a neutral pole connecting-blade and/or an PE-FE pole connecting-blade.
10. 10. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 3, characterized in: that the second and/or the fourth pressure-contact connector (107, 103) is formed as a neutral pole and/or an PE-FE pole base connecting-insert (107', 103'), and that the sixth and/or the eighth pressure-contact connector (125, 124) is formed as a neutral pole and/or an PE-FE pole collet (125', 124').
11. 11. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: there are a plurality of the leakage circuit breakers (17; 117; 217), and the plurality of the leakage circuit breakers are arranged side by side, so that a plurality of first pressure-contact connectors (14; 114) are arranged side by side on the plurality of leakage circuit breakers (17; 117; 217), the base being provided with a plurality of second pressure-contact connectors (7; 107) arranged side by side for electrically connecting with the plurality of the first pressure-contact connectors (15; 115); and/or that a plurality of third pressure-contact connectors (15; 115) are arranged side by side on the plurality of leakage circuit breakers (17; 117; 217), the base being provided with a plurality of fourth pressure-contact connectors (3; 103) arranged side by side for electrically connecting with the plurality of the third pressure-contact connectors (15; 115).
12. 12. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1-3, characterized in: that the first pressure-contact connector (14; 114) is arranged on the bottom of an end of the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217), the base is provided with the second pressure-contact connector (7; 107) corresponding to the first pressure-contact (14; 114), there being a plurality of the leakage circuit breakers (17; 117; 217), and the plurality of the leakage circuit breakers being arranged side by side, either continuously or discontinuously, so that a plurality of the first pressure-contact connectors (14; 114) are arranged side by side, either continuously or discontinuously, and the base being provided with a plurality of the second pressure-contact connectors (7; 107) in order to mate with the plurality of the first pressure-contact connectors (14; 114), and/or that the third pressure-contact connector (15; 115) is arranged on the bottom of an end of the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217), the base is provided with the forth pressure-contact connector (3; 103) corresponding to the third pressure-contact (15; 115), there being a plurality of the leakage circuit breakers (17; 117; 217), and the plurality of the leakage circuit breakers being arranged side by side, either continuously or discontinuously, so that a plurality of third pressure-contact connectors (15; 115) are arranged side by side, either continuously or discontinuously, and the base being provided with a plurality of the fourth pressure-contact connectors (3; 103) in order to grip the plurality of the third pressure-contact connectors (15; 115).
13. 13. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that: the PE-FE pole busbar (4; 104) is electrically connected with electrical equipment (18) by using a connecting-sheet (6).
14. 14. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that: the base further comprises a basis (8) and a cap (I), the PE-FE pole busbar (4; 104) and the neutral pole busbar (16; 116) being accommodated and fixed in the basis (8), the cap (1) covering the basis (8), and the cap (I) being provided with holes which are used for receiving the first pressure-contact connectors (14; 114) and the third pressure-contact connectors (15; 115), the holes also directing the first pressure-contact connectors (14; 114) and the third pressure-contact connectors (15; 115) to electrically connect with the corresponding second pressure-contact connectors (7; 107) and the corresponding fourth pressure-contact connectors (3; 103), respectively.
15. 15. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217) further comprises a connecting lock (13), which is used to firmly lock the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217) on the base.
16. 16. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 3, characterized in: that the first and/or the third pressure-contact connector (1 I 4, I I 5) and the second and/or the fourth pressure-contact connector (107, 103) are at a first angle when the assembly is assembled, that the second and/or the fourth pressure-contact connector (123, 122) and the sixth and/or the eighth pressure-contact connector (125, 124) are at a second angle, the second angle and the first angle being supplemental, so that the leakage circuit breaker (117) can connect with the base by using the coupling member (127).
17. 17. The creepage protection assembly in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that: the first angle equals to 90 degrees.
18. 18. A panel box/cabinet, characterized in that: it comprises the creepage protection assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1-17.
19. 19. The panel box/cabinet in accordance with claim 18, characterized in that: the panel box/cabinet further comprises: ding rails (19), a busbar means, and the electrical equipment (18), the electrical equipment (18) being arranged on the ding rails (19), the electrical equipment (18) being electrically connected with the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217), an end of the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217) where the first and/or the third pressure-contact connector is arranged being electrically connected with the electrical equipment (18), the end of the leakage circuit breaker (17; 117; 217) where the first and/or the third pressure-contact connector is arranged being inserted in the base, the base being inserted in the busbar means.
20. 20. The panel box/cabinet in accordance with claim 18 or 19, characterized in that: the creepage protection assembly is arranged at both sides of the electrical equipment either symmetrically or asymmetrically.
21. 21. A creepage protection assembly substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 to 19 of the accompany drawings.
22. 22. A panel box/cabinet substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 to 19 of the accompany drawings.