EP2710619B1 - System cabling for a multiple relay arrangement - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a multiple relay arrangement with a plurality of juxtaposed relay sockets, which may have different dimensions, also to accommodate each different relay. Each relay socket has a relay plug connection, input and output connections and an additional at least two-pole additional plug connection for additional electronics and can be plugged into a mounting rail.

The WO 2008/064618 A1 describes a DIN rail mounting device for receiving electronic modules, wherein a ribbon cable extends along the cavity of the top hat rail and offers insulation displacement connections with respective connectors, which lead via blade contacts to respectively associated printed circuit boards of the electronic modules.

The DE 296 10 415 U1 shows an electrical connector that can be plugged onto a DIN rail and pin contacts that can cooperate with a pre-assembled connector, which is provided with a ribbon cable.

The US 2004/0087215 A1 refers to an adapter for a terminal block relay which is mounted on a rail and has connections leading via lines to an adjacent relay.

Out DE 39 23 137 C1 is a jack with two-part connection part known, each having rows of contact tongues to attach connection cables or wires by means of male and screw fasteners in the jack. Such a jack can be attached to a mounting rail, and the connecting cable is fed through a central cable channel which extends adjacent to the mounting rail.

Stringed modules can be combined into module groups using 8-pin pin contacts (Dr. Hasberg Datentechnik, Electronics for Industry and Leisure). With cat. 5e patch cable with shielded plugs, the connection (system bus) between the module groups can be realized.

Relay socket with two-pole additional plug connection are known ( EP 1 760 745 A2 , Relay socket series 788, company WAGO) and serve to connect z. B. an optical display. The actual relay has a control input and other connections that work together with an associated slot of the relay socket.

Such relay sockets are usually strung in groups on a mounting rail and must be connected to control devices, distribution modules and the like. For this purpose, wire harnesses with individual wiring are used in practice for the particular application. But there are also known prefabricated cable with a group connector for a group of juxtaposed relay sockets in practice, which is a kind of system cabling. A disadvantage of this connection system is the need the use of equal width relay socket side by side, so that the connector fits with group plug.

The invention has for its object to provide a system cabling for juxtaposed relay socket, in which the relay socket may have different dimensions in the rail longitudinal direction.

The above technical problem is solved by the features of claim 1. Thereafter, a multiple relay arrangement is provided. It comprises a plurality of juxtaposed relay sockets, which are plugged into a mounting rail and each have a relay plug connection, input and output connections for the relay and an at least two-pole additional plug connection for additional electronics and different dimensions in the longitudinal direction of the Can have mounting rail. Further, the multiple relay arrangement comprises a plurality of relays sized to be received in associated relay plug terminals, and system wiring having a plurality of cable sections and with connectors respectively adapted for connection to a mating plug terminal of one of the relay sockets to electrically connect the relays to a controller connect to.

The invention makes use of the fact that standard relay sockets are equipped with an additional plug connection for additional electronics, which have access to the control input of the respective relay. The novel system cabling is provided with a plurality of connectors, each for connection to an auxiliary plug connection of a respective relay socket, so as to connect the relays to a control device, to a distributor module or the like. Between the respective connectors extend cable sections, which make it possible to bridge different center distances of the relay socket. In this way, the system cabling can be connected to a group of juxtaposed relay socket, without the relay socket must match in terms of their dimensions in the rail longitudinal direction.

The system cabling may take the form of a wiring harness with the connectors included therein, which are connected via wire pairs of the cable with a Vielpolstecker.

Between the Vielpolstecker and the individual connectors, a star-shaped structure of the wire pairs can be realized. But it is also possible to realize a serial structure of the wire pairs between the Vielpolstecker and the respective connectors.

It is particularly advantageous to use a prefabricated ribbon cable for the cable harness, which contains a wire crossover point with wire lead-out for each plug connector. The cable sections of the system cabling correspond to the distance of the wire crossover points from each other.

The additional electronics known type is housed in a respective housing having a connector for cooperation with the additional plug connection of the relay socket. Such a housing with additional electronics housed therein is integrated with its connector in the system cabling. The additional electronics known per se include, depending on requirements, a protective circuit and / or a status display of the relay. The additional electronics can also represent, for example, a freewheeling diode, an RC combination or a varistor.

• Fig. 1 eine Mehrfachrelaisanordnung mit einem Kabelbaum in perspektifischer Ansicht,
• Fig. 2 eine schematische Darstellung eines Relaissockels, eines Relais und einer Zusatzelektronik,
• Fig. 3 einen sternförmigen Aufbau von Aderpaaren eines Kabelbaumes,
• Fig. 4 einen seriellen Aufbau von Adernpaaren des Kabelbaums,
• Fig. 5 ein vorkonfektioniertes Kabel zur Verwendung im seriellen Aufbau des Kabelbaumes,
• Fig. 6 eine Mehrfachrelaisanordnung, die über Bussignale ansteuerbar ist, und
• Fig. 7 den schematischen Aufbau eines Anschlussmoduls für die Mehrfachrelaisanordnung nach Fig. 6.

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Showing:

• Fig. 1 a multiple relay arrangement with a wiring harness in perspective view,
• Fig. 2 a schematic representation of a Relay socket, a relay and additional electronics,
• Fig. 3 a star-shaped structure of wire pairs of a wiring harness,
• Fig. 4 a serial structure of wire pairs of the wiring harness,
• Fig. 5 a prefabricated cable for use in the serial structure of the wiring harness,
• Fig. 6 a multiple relay arrangement, which can be controlled via bus signals, and
• Fig. 7 the schematic structure of a connection module for the multiple relay according to Fig. 6 ,

Fig. 1 shows a multiple relay arrangement with eight units, each containing a relay socket 1, a relay 2 and an additional electronics 3. The relay socket 1 are placed side by side on a mounting rail 4 and are held so. The units of relay socket, relay and additional electronics form a group, which is controlled via a system wiring in the form of a wiring harness 5.

The schema representation of Fig. 2 shows the connections within the relay socket 1, the relay 2 and the additional electronics 3. The relay socket, the relay and the additional electronics are housed respectively in housing 10, 20 and 30, whose shape and dimensions are standardized. The relay socket 1 includes input terminals 11, the over Lines with a plug 12 to the relay 2 out and connected to a plug 13 to the additional electronics 3 out. The relay socket 1 comprises three output terminals 14, 15, 16, which are connected via lines with plugs 17, 18, 19 which lead to the output circuits of the relay 2 out. The input and output circuits of the relay 2 include mating connector 22, 27, 28, 29 for plug-in connection with the corresponding plugs 12, 17, 18, and 19 of the relay socket 1. The internal structure of the relay 2, shown here electromechanically, can also be electronic as it is known. The additional electronics 3 has a connector 33 for cooperation with the plug 13 of the relay socket 1.

The wiring harness 5 includes a supply cable 50, a multi-pole plug 51, and a series of cable sections 52 that form a distribution section 53. The cable sections 52 are guided in arcs which extend between the individual housings 30 of the additional electronics 3 and connect them. In the wider relay sockets 1, the bends of the cable sections 52 are wider and in the narrower relay socket 1, the bows are narrower. By appropriate choice of the length of the cable sections 52 it can be ensured that all types of relay socket, whether wide or narrow, can be covered with one and the same system cabling.

Fig. 3 shows a star-shaped structure of the system cabling. Depicted are wire pairs 54, 55, 56 which lead from a multipolar connector 51 to the relay sockets 1a, 1b, 1c. The length of the wire pairs varies around the Length of the cable sections 52, what in Fig. 3 not shown.

Fig. 4 shows a serial structure of the system cabling. The wire pairs 54, 55, 56 run through, but are tapped at a distance of the cable sections 52, wherein the branches 34, 35, 36 are located within the respective housing 30 of the additional electronics 3 and lead to the respective plugs 33.

Fig. 5 shows the use of a prefabricated ribbon cable for the production of the Verteilabschnitts 53. There are wire crossover points 57, 58, 59, of which the branches 34, 35, 36 to the connectors 13/33 and thus to the relay sockets 1a, 1b, 1c lead , The distance of the wire crossover points 57, 58, 59 from each other corresponds to the length of each cable section 52. The wire crossover points 57, 58, 59 are each housed in a housing 30 of the additional electronics, while the cable sections 52 extend to the outside of these housing 30, as in Fig. 1 shown.

The system cabling can also be applied to bus systems 6 that work with digital signals ( Fig. 6 ). The bus system 6 comprises on the input side a gateway 66 and contains a distribution section 53 with cable sections 52 between which branches 34, 35 lead to connection modules 60.

The branches 34, 35 include signal lines 61 and power supply lines 62, which lead to respective connectors 33 of the relay socket 19, 16.

Fig. 7 schematically shows the structure of a connection module 60, which is housed in a housing 30. A signal conditioning device 63, a voltage conditioning device 64, and a driver stage 65 for controlling the associated relay 2 are provided. The connectors 33 lead, as in the case of Fig. 2 , to the relay socket 1 and the associated relay 2.

The invention thus provides a system cabling in which the relays 2 can be controlled via the terminals 33, which are otherwise used for additional electronics 3. A type of wire harness 5 is used, which has a connection section 50 and a distribution section 53 with a series of cable sections 52 of specific length, which make it possible to serve groups of relay sockets 1, which can also be of different widths.

Claims (13)

1. A multiple relay arrangement, comprising:

   - a plurality of relay sockets (1) arranged next to each other fitted on a mounting rail (4), which may have different dimensions in a longitudinal direction of the mounting rail (4) and which each have input plug-in connectors (12) and output plug-in connector (17, 18, 19) towards the input and output of the relay (2); furthermore each having a control input terminal (11) and output terminals (14, 15, 16) for the relay, and a respective at least bipolar additional plug-in terminal (13) for additional electronics (3), which is located in parallel to the control input terminal (11) and is connected to the input plug-in connector (12) towards the relay;

   - a plurality of relays (2) which are plugged into associated input plug-in connectors (12) and output plug-in connectors (17, 18, 19) next to each other, as a group; and

   - system cabling for controlling the group of relays (2), comprising a plurality of cable sections (52) and plug-in connectors (33), wherein the plug-in connectors (33) are plugged into the additional plug-in terminals (13) of the relay sockets (1), and wherein the cable sections (52) bridge spaces between the additional plug-in terminals (13).
2. The multiple relay arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the system cabling further comprises a cable harness (5) including a supply cable (50) and a distribution section (53) for supply of the relay groups, consisting of wire pairs (54, 55, 56) and plug-in connectors (33) included therein.
3. The multiple relay arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the wire pairs (54, 55, 56) are connected to the respective plug-in connectors (33) via branches (34, 35, 36) .
4. The multiple relay arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the branches (34, 35, 36) are accommodated inside housings (30) of the additional electronics.
5. The multiple relay arrangement according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a star-shaped arrangement of the wire pairs (54, 55, 56) is implemented between a multiple-pole connector (51) and the individual plug-in connectors (33).
6. The multiple relay arrangement according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a serial arrangement of the wire pairs (54, 55, 56) is implemented between a multiple-pole connector (51) and the individual plug-in connectors (33).
7. The multiple relay arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the cable harness (5) includes a pre-configured flat ribbon cable as a distribution section (53), which includes a wire crossover point (57, 58, 59) with wire lead-out for each plug-in connector used.
8. The multiple relay arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least some of the plug-in connectors (33) connect to a housing (30) that includes additional electronics (3) accommodated therein.
9. The multiple relay arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the additional electronics (3) comprise protective circuitry and/or a status indicator of the relay (2).
10. The multiple relay arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the additional electronics (3) comprise a flyback diode.
11. The multiple relay arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the additional electronics (3) comprise an RC combination.
12. The multiple relay arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the additional electronics (3) comprise a timer circuit.
13. The multiple relay arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the system cabling comprises a bus system (6) including a distribution section (53) for supply of the relay group, which is divided into cable sections (52) from which branches (34, 35) lead to connection modules (60) which have the relay sockets (1) and relays (2) associated therewith.

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