GB2115376A

GB2115376A - Identification apparatus for an electrical lead

Info

Publication number: GB2115376A
Application number: GB08300192A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerhard Hoffmann
Original assignee: Lutze Elektro Friedrich GmbH; Friedrich Lutze Elektro GmbH
Current assignee: Lutze Elektro Friedrich GmbH; Friedrich Lutze Elektro GmbH
Priority date: 1982-01-07
Filing date: 1983-01-05
Publication date: 1983-09-07
Also published as: DE3200178C2; AT384498B; DE3200178A1; IT8224827A0; FR2519466A1; IT1154648B; SE8207484D0; IT8224827A1; FR2519466B1; ATA1983A; GB8300192D0; SE8207484L; CH657936A5; SE458001B; GB2115376B

Abstract

An identification apparatus for an electrical lead comprises a guide frame (31) able to be placed on the lead (2) and a flexible band (32) attached to the guide frame (31) at one end and by its other free end can be fed back into the inside of the guide frame, after wrapping around the lead, to be engaged there with integral parts of the guide frame. A mounting and support device (20) for one or more designation plates (10) consists of a T-shaped support (21) attached to the end of the guide frame (31) and extending parallel to the lead (2). The approximately U-shaped designation plates (10) are provided with lugs (15, 16) which engage under the arms (22), (23) of the support (20). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Identification apparatus for an electrical lead The invention relates to an identification apparatus for an electrical lead, with a clamping device which can be attached to the peripheral surface of the lead and with a mounting and support device connected in one piece to the clamping device and intended for at least one designation plate. An identification apparatus of this type is known from German Patent Specification No. 20 20 383.

For identifying or marking electrical leads, in particular circuit wires in swiching stations and electrical control systems, it is known (German Patent Specification 20 20 383) to clamp to the respective lead a clip-like clamping device consisting of flexible elastic material whereby the clip jaw placed around the lead is closed by unfolding the clip arms attached thereto and a rectangular designation plate is inserted in the mounting and support device formed by the clip arms and their gripper bars at the end faces. The designation plate locked to the gripper bars retains the clamping device in its clamped position and at the same time prevents the springing back of the clip arms into their initial folded-together position.

However, on account of the adaptation of the clip jaw opening to the diameter of lead, the known identification apparatus is only suitable for the matching thickness of lead, so that for leads with greater diameter variations, many types of the known identification apparatus are required, which is troublesome and labour-intensive at the construction sites. Furthermore, the designation area of the designation plate is comparatively small, so that for extensive markings, two or more identification apparatus must be clamped one behind the other on the respective lead, which is not only expensive, but for reasons of space, for example in switchboards and the like, is frequently impossible.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide an identification apparatus of the aforementioned type, which can be used as standard for leads with very great diameter variations and also allows extensive marking even in wiring areas of restricted dimensions.

According to the invention therefore there is provided identification apparatus for an electrical lead, with a clamping device which can be attached to the peripheral surface of the lead and with a mounting and support device connected in one piece to the clamping device and intended for at least one designation plate, characterised in that the clamping device comprises a guide frame able to be seated on the lead as well as a flexible band extending from the guide frame outwards in the direction of its contact surface, which flexible band is undetachably connected at one end to the guide frame and at its other end, after wrapping around the lead, can be fed back into the guide frame to be engaged there with integral parts of the guide frame, that the mounting and support device comprises an elongated T-shaped support attached to the guide frame at one end, whereof the longitudinal axis is arranged in use to extend approximately parallel to at least that longitudinal section of the lead which is clamped to the guide frame, and that the designation plate is generally U-shaped, and has side members which are provided with inwardly-directed lugs which can be engaged under the transverse arms of the T-shaped support when the designation plate is fitted on the support.

In the identification apparatus according to the invention, the marking symbols, for example letters, no longer need to be applied to the lead individually, but a complete identification block can be premanufactured and then attached to the lead in one operation. Thus, individual parts of this identification block or of the entire identification block can be exchanged on the spot even after the assembly is completed. The clamping device of the identification apparatus according to the invention can be adapted to virtually any diameter of lead, so that the same identification apparatus can be used in wiring areas with leads or wires of varying thickness, which dispenses with troublesome selection operations as well as storage of different types.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of one form of an identification apparatus according to the invention fitted on a section of lead; Figure2 is a section on section line ll-ll of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section on section line Ill-Ill of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of the fitted identification apparatus according to Figure 1; Figure 5 is a plan view of the identification apparatus according to Figure 1, before it is fitted and with the designation plates removed; Figure 5a is a side view of part of the identification apparatus illustratd in Figure 5, with the designation plates removed; Figure 5 is a section on section line VI-VI of Figure 5;; Figure 7 is a section on section line VII-VII of Figure 5; Figure 8 is a section on section line VIII-VIII of Figure 1; Figure 9 is an end view of a designation plate, which is provided beside six other designation plates in the identification apparatus according to Figure 1; Figure 70 is a plan view of the underside of the designation plate according to Figure 9; and Figure ii is a section on section Xl-Xl of Figure 10.

The identification apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention deignated in the drawings by reference numeral 1 is attached to an electrical lead 2 (Figures 1 to 4 and 8), which may be a wire, a cable or the like and is to be identified by some numbers, letters or symbols.

The identification apparatus 1 generally comprises three operational components, namely a number (in the example illustrated 7) designation plates 10, a mounting and support device 20 as well as a clamping device 30. The mounting and support device 20 serves for mounting and supporting designation plates 10, which are placed one behind the other in the axial direction of the device 20 on the latter and can be connected to the latter in a detachable manner. As shown in Figure 1, the longitudinal axis of the mounting and support device 20 extends approximately parallel to that longitudinal section of the lead 2, to which the clamping device 30 is clamped. The devices 20 and 30 preferably consist of a flame-resistant synthetic material, such as polyamide for example and are made from one piece by the injection moulding method.The designation plates 10 likewise consist of a flame-resistant material, such as for example Delrin and can be marked in any manner, which also includes the sticking-on of coated adhesive foils and the like. For example, each designation plate 10 carries one of the Figures illustrated in Figure 4, so that a multidigit number is produced, which corresponds to a cable or wire number, an operating code number or the like. Advantageously, before the fitting of the devices 20, 30 to the lead 2, the designation plates 10 are attached to the mounting and support device 20 so that there is a possibility of pre-manufacturing the finished marked designation plates as a designation block, which solely requires final assembly at the construction site, which is clean and time-saving.

The size of the marking area is dependent solely on the axial length of the mounting and support device 20, i.e. on the number of designation plates 10 attached thereto and in the cae of a basic model can be chosen to be so large that it is adequate for most marking instances. Since the block consisting of the individual designation plates 10 extends in the axial direction of the device 20 and thus approximately in the longitudinal direction of the cable, identification apparatus 1 can be attached in an unhindered manner even in wiring areas of restricted dimensions, such as for example switchboards.

The construction of the identification apparatus 1 according to the drawings is given in detail as follows: The clamping device 30 consists of a guide frame 31 (Figure 4), which with two frame parts 31a, 31b at the ends, which are connected by a cross-member 31c, is seated on the peripheral surface of the electrical lead 2. The contact surface 35 of each frame part 31a, 31b has a roof-shaped construction (Figures 2, 3, 6 to 8), so that the clamping device 30 can be seated equally well on leads 2 with considerable diameter variations.Rigidly connected, for example connected by casting, welded and the like to the cross-member3le is a flexible band 32, which in the unfitted state of the clamping device 30, extends in the direction of the contact surfaces 35 through the open underside of the guide frame 31 and beyond, as shown in Figure 5. At right angles to its longitudinal axis, the band 32 is provided with toothing 33 and is tapered at its free end. The purpose of this construction of the band 32 is shown in Figure 8, which shows a section through the clamping device 30 when fitted.Thus, the flexible band 32 is wrapped around the electrical lead 2 and guided by its free end through the open underside of the guide frame 31 and through its inside, so that the band 32 once more emerges from the guide frame 31 on the upper side of the guide frame 31 between a band contact surface 36 and a resilient pawl 34 and when the guide frame 31 is kept stationary, it can be pulled upwards in the direction of the arrow until the lead 2 bears fully against the contact surfaces 35. In this case, the resiliently-mounted pawl 34 of the guide frame 31 meshes with the toothing 33 of the band 32 so that at the time of movement of the band 32 in the direction of the arrow 37, the pawl 34 slides over the teeth ofthetoothing 33 (in the manner of a ratchet) and only engages below a tooth of the teeth 33 in the clamped position of the band 32.The tooth angles and surfaces of the teeth 33 as well as the inclined faces of the tip of the pawl 34 are constructed to correspond. The length of the band 32 and the number of teeth of the toothing 33 is chosen so that leads 2 with a small and very large diameter can be clamped to the clamping device 30 in the same way. After the clamping of the flexible band 32 is completed, its projecting portion may simply be cut off.

The mounting and support device 20 consists of a T-shaped support 21, which is rigidly attached, preferably connected by casting, at one axial end to the frame part 31 of the guide frame and at its other axial end is connected to a closing-off plate 24, preferably in one piece. The outer contours of the closing-off plate 24 correspond substantially to the outer contours of the frame part 31b. The horizontal arms 22, 23 of the T-shaped supports 21 are tapered at their free ends (Figure 6), for example at an angle of 45Q with respect to the top surface of the arms 22, 23 in which case the lower inclined surface at the free ends of the arms 22,23 bears with a press fit (Figure 3) against a matching inclined surface of an associated locking lug 15, 16 of the side member 11, 12 of each designation plate 10 (Figure 9).

Each designation plate 10 has an approximately U-shaped cross-section, in which case the side members 11, 12 enclose the arms 22,23 of the T-shaped support 21 and engage bytheirterminal locking lugs 15,16 in the manner described below the free ends of the arms 22, 23. For the correct positioning of the designation plates 10 on the top surface of the arms 22,23 of the T-shaped support 21, a projection 13 (Figures 9 to 11) with a triangular cross-section for example is provided centrally on the inner face of the yoke 14 of each designation plate 10, which projection can be inserted in a form-locking manner in a correspondingly profiled positioning groove 25 (Figures 5 and 5a) in the top surface of the arms 22,23.

Claims

1. Identification apparatus for an electrical lead, with a clamping device which can be attached to the peripheral surface of the lead and with a mounting and support device connected in one piece to the clamping device and intended for at least one designation plate, characterised in that the clamping device comprises a guide frame able to be seated on the lead as well as a flexible band extending from the guide frame outwards in the direction of its contact surface, which flexible band is undetachably con nected at one end to the guide frame and at its other end, after wrapping around the lead, can be fed back into the guide frame to be engaged there with integral parts of the guide frame, that the mounting and support device comprises an elongated Tshaped support attached to the guide frame at one end whereof the longitudinal axis is arranged in use to extend approximately parallel to at least that longitudinal section of the lead which is clamped to the guide frame, and that the designation plate is generally U-shaped, and has side members which are provided with inwardly directed lugs which can be engaged under the transverse arms of the T-shaped support when the designation plate is fitted on the support.

2. Identification apparatus according to claim 1, characterised by a plurality of designation plates able to be engaged one behind the other in the axial direction of the support.

3. Identification apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that on its inner yoke face, the designation plate comprises a profiled projection, which can be inserted in a form-locking manner in an associated positioning groove in the outer face of the arms of the support.

4. Identification apparatus according to claim 3, characterised in that each projection and each positioning groove has an approximately triangular cross-section.

5. Identification apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the lugs of the side members of each designation plate and the free ends of the arms of the support have a triangular cross-sectional profile so that the profile surfaces of the lugs and arms coming into contact with each other have the same angle of inclination with respect to the yoke plane of each designation plate or the outer surface of the arms.

6. Identification apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the other end face of the T-shaped support remote from the guide frame is connected in one piece to a closing-off plate.

7. Identification apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the flexible band of the guide frame is provided with locking teeth on its side adjacent the surface of the lead and that the parts of the guide frame able to be locked to the band consist of a relatively rigid band contact surface and a resiliently-mounted pawl, which is able to mesh with the locking teeth so that when the band is fed back through the inside of the guide frame, the pawl slides over the locking teeth and engages under one tooth of the locking teeth at the end of the operation for feeding back the band.

8. Identification apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the contact surface of the guide frame has a roof-shaped construction.

9. Identification apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the flexible band and the T-shaped support are wormed in one piece with the guide frame.

10. Identification apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the length of the flexible band and the number of teeth of the locking teeth is chosen to be sufficiently large for use with leads with very varied diameters.

11. Identification apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the flexible band tapers in the region of its free end.

12. Identification apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.