阅读说明：本技术 用于标记能够彼此相邻排列的电气器件的设备 (Device for marking electrical components that can be arranged next to one another ) 是由 C·杜尔姆 S·洛伦兹 M·戈克尔 J·马伦巴赫 D·德普拉托 R·门泽尔 C·施耐德 于 2020-03-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于标记电气器件(2)的设备,所述电气器件能够彼此相邻排列并布置在支撑轨道(1)上,其中,所述设备包括用于支撑轨道(1)的托架(12)和用于将标记施加至电气器件(2)的激光头(21)。所述设备的特征在于所述托架(12)围绕其纵轴能够枢转地安装,且激光头(21)在与托架(12)纵轴平行延伸的至少一个纵向方向上能够移动地被引导。(The invention relates to an apparatus for marking electrical components (2) that can be arranged adjacent to one another and on a support rail (1), wherein the apparatus comprises a carriage (12) for supporting the rail (1) and a laser head (21) for applying a marking to the electrical components (2). The apparatus is characterized in that the carrier (12) is mounted pivotably about its longitudinal axis and the laser heads (21) are guided displaceably in at least one longitudinal direction extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carrier (12).)

1. An apparatus for marking electrical devices (2) that can be arranged adjacent to each other and on a support track (1), wherein the apparatus comprises a carriage (12) for supporting the track (1) and a laser head (21) for applying a mark to the electrical devices (2),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the carrier (12) is mounted pivotably about its longitudinal axis, and the laser heads (21) are guided displaceably in at least one longitudinal direction extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carrier (12).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carriage (12) has a longitudinal support (13) with a receiving base (131) for receiving a support rail (1) which is held eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation by a pivot arm (14).

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the receiving seat (131) is arranged offset with respect to the rotation axis by 20 to 30 mm.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a movable slide (15) is arranged on the longitudinal support (13) in order to be able to fix support rails (1) of different lengths.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein on the longitudinal support (13) and on the slide there are provided receiving projections (132, 152) so as to project from the support rail (1) at both its ends.

6. Apparatus according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein on or in the longitudinal support (13) in the region of the receiving base (131) electromagnets (134) are arranged in order to be able to fix the support rail (1).

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein on the carrier (12) a rotating feed conductor (17) is arranged for coupling a current supply to the electromagnet (134).

8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the carriage (12) is able to pivot indefinitely through a pivot angle greater than 360 ° and preferably greater than 720 °.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the side guide plates (133) project out of the plane of the receiving seat (131), extending laterally on the receiving seat (131) in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal support (13).

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the side guide plate (133) projects about 2 to 6mm above the plane of the receiving seat (131).

11. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a linear guide (22) with a movable slide on which the laser head (21) is mounted directly or indirectly is arranged parallel to the carriage (12).

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the laser heads (21) are mounted on the slide via one or more further linear guides (23, 24) extending perpendicularly to the linear guides (22).

13. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the laser heads (21) have lasers emitting in the ultraviolet wavelength range.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a device for marking electrical components which can be arranged adjacent to one another and are arranged on a support rail. The apparatus comprises a carriage for supporting the track and a laser head for marking the electrical device.

Background

The support rails are used for clamping of electrical components in mounting technology. In particular in the construction of installations, prefabricated support rail sections are usually used, which are then incorporated on site into a switchgear cabinet, which comprises a plurality of electrical components arranged next to one another. The electrical devices are typically patch panels, each of which in turn includes a plurality of connections. To facilitate the wiring arrangement within the switchgear cabinet, the individual components and their connections may be marked, for example, such that they comprise corresponding marking surfaces.

Publication WO 2010/057768 a1 discloses an apparatus by means of which it is possible to assemble electrical components, in particular terminal blocks, to a support rail in an automated manner. Here, a printing unit is provided which prints on a label surface of the electric device taken out of the storage box before the electric device is mounted on the support rail.

An alternative method is known from publication WO 2017/125364 a1, in which the support rail is first equipped with electrical components and then the components are marked. To this end, the above-mentioned document describes a marking apparatus comprising a support rail carriage and a laser head which applies the required marks in the marking zone of the component. The carriage device for supporting the rails is here connected to a linear displacement and pivoting device, so that the supporting rails with the electrical components in front of the laser head can be displaced and pivoted in order to be able to move the marked marking area to the marking area of the laser head.

In large-scale switch cabinets or switchgear, support rails are used, the length of which ranges from one meter to more than one meter. In order to be able to move the length of the support track portion by means of said device in front of the laser head so that the laser head can reach the entire length of the support track, a displacement device is required, the length of which corresponds to at least twice the length of the support track. In order to be able to handle correspondingly long support rails, the device therefore has a corresponding space requirement. As the length of the device increases, the requirements on the stability and quality of the guidance of the moving and pivoting device also increase in order to achieve a corresponding positioning accuracy over the entire displacement range and insensitivity to the external or internal vibrations generated.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to create a marking device of the type mentioned at the outset which has a relatively small space requirement, measured over the length of the workable support rail, and which achieves a high positioning accuracy and is insensitive to vibrations with relatively low material expenditure.

This object is achieved by a marking device having the features of the independent claim. Advantageous embodiments and developments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

According to the invention, an apparatus for marking electrical components which can be arranged next to one another of the type mentioned at the outset is characterized in that the carrier is mounted pivotably about its longitudinal axis and the laser head is guided displaceably in at least one longitudinal direction which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carrier.

In contrast to the devices known from the prior art, in the present case at least the necessary relative movement between the laser head and the component to be marked is divided in such a way that the linear guidance is performed by the laser head, while the electrical component is only pivoted and not moved. The carriage of the support rail therefore does not have to be able to perform a displacement movement over the entire length of the support rail, as a result of which the carriage can be designed to a correspondingly smaller length. The linear guide for the laser head, which now performs this displacement movement, can be arranged parallel and adjacent to the carriage, so that the overall construction length is not increased thereby.

Furthermore, the fixed arrangement and the shorter construction of the pivotable carrier make the design of the carrier more robust, with less material expenditure for the large, and therefore pivoting movements possible with high rotational accelerations, but with less vibrations. The linear guide of the laser head also does not require a great expenditure of material, since it does not need to be designed for the high torques and lateral forces that occur during the rotational acceleration of the pivoting movement.

In the context of the present application, the term "electrical device" denotes any device having a support rail carrier for being arranged on a support rail. Such devices include, for example, purely passive terminal blocks, but devices with switching or fusing elements, such as automatic circuit breakers, are also encompassed by the term "electrical device", as well as devices with electronic components or components that can be connected to a support rail.

In an advantageous embodiment of the device, the carriage comprises a longitudinal support with a receiving base for receiving the support rail, which receiving base is held eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation by a pivot arm. Preferably, the receiving base is here arranged about 20 to 30 millimeters (mm) off-center from the center of the axis of rotation.

The eccentric pivoting movement of the carrier and thus of the support rail is based on the finding that, on average, the centre of gravity of the electrical component to be marked, in particular in the case of a terminal block, as described above, is located about 20 to 30mm above the support rail carrier of the electrical component. Since the receiving base is spaced from the axis of rotation by the above-mentioned spacing, the electrical device rotates on average about its own center of gravity, achieving a fast and as inertia-free as possible rotation. Thus, the force generated during the acceleration of the rotation is minimized. In this way, as high a rotational acceleration as possible can be achieved, so that as fast a pivoting movement as possible is achieved, shortening the marking process as a whole.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the device, a movable slide is arranged on the longitudinal support in order to be able to fix support rails of different lengths. Preferably, receiving projections are provided on both the longitudinal support and the slider so as to be able to overlap at both ends of the support rail to clamp it. By means of the movable slide, it is possible to mark components on support rails of different lengths.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the device, electromagnets are provided on or in the longitudinal supports in the region of the receiving base in order to fix the support rail on the receiving base. Preferably, on the carrier, a rotating feed conductor is arranged in order to couple the current supply to the electromagnet. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to use permanent magnets or a combination of electromagnets and permanent magnets in order to hold the support rail on the receiving base.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the device, at the side of the receiving foot, in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal holder, a side guide plate projects above the plane of the receiving foot. The side guide plates are helpful especially for longer support rails, since longer support rails are prone to sagging for production and/or transport reasons. Due to this sagging, it is not possible to accurately position the support rail and thus the electrical component to be marked without the side guide plates. Preferably, the side guide plate protrudes approximately 2 to 6mm out of the plane of the receiving foot, so as to laterally enclose the support rail in the lower region. In this region they do not collide with the clamped electrical components. The outer guide plates are preferably designed as spring steel plates, so that they can compensate for width tolerances of the support rail. The support rails are typically rounded between their base and vertical sides because they are typically manufactured as stamped and bent parts. Due to the radius, a centering takes place between the side guide plates when pressing the support rail onto the receiving foot. Due to the described manner of fixing the support rails, support rails of different heights can also be used.

Furthermore, it is advantageous to mount the bracket such that it can be pivoted without limitation at a rotation angle exceeding 360 °. Preferably, the angle of rotation is also significantly greater than 360 °, for example 720 °. It can also be provided that any rotation angle without a limit stop is possible. The rotary feed conductor designed here makes it possible for the current supply of the electromagnet to take place over the entire rotation range. The free pivotability achieved in this way enables the support rail to be pivoted in any direction in order to switch to a further marking position in any case on the shortest rotational path. In any case, therefore, it is possible to switch to the subsequent marking position with a rotation of less than 180 °.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the apparatus, a linear guide with a movable slide is arranged parallel to the carriage, on which slide the laser head is mounted directly or indirectly. The laser head may be mounted on the slide via one or more further linear guides extending perpendicular to the linear guides. If the laser head does not have the possibility of varying the focal distance internally, another linear guide in the horizontal direction can keep the laser head in proper focus with the surface to be marked. Further, the linear guide in the vertical direction widens the marking area upward and downward.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the device, the laser head comprises a laser emitting in the Ultraviolet (UV) wavelength range. The advantage of light in the ultraviolet wavelength range is that the marking can be applied on almost any plastic surface. The electrical devices to be marked may include designated marking areas, but they do not necessarily require the provision of special coatings or special plastics as is often required for marking with Infrared (IR) light. Furthermore, it is also possible to apply a marking to an area of the electrical component which is not specifically designated. Furthermore, the applied marking may not only be a pure color change, but may also involve material removal or material modification when appropriate parameters and focusing of the laser radiation are used, so that the marking is perceptible (tactile marking).

Drawings

The invention will be described in further detail below with reference to embodiments with the aid of the accompanying drawings. The figures show:

fig. 1-4 are embodiments of an apparatus for marking electrical components, each of which shows an electrical component to be marked on a support rail in isometric view from a different viewing direction and/or with a different insertion.

FIGS. 5a-c are different views of a pivoting device of the marking device shown in FIGS. 1-4; and

fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a longitudinal support of the pivoting device according to fig. 5 a-c.

Detailed Description

In fig. 1 to 4, in each case in isometric view, an embodiment of a device for marking electrical components which can be arranged next to one another, hereinafter referred to as marking device, is shown. The marking device has in each case a receiving support rail 1, on which a plurality of electrical components 2 are clamped. All the clipped devices 2 shown in the drawings of the present application are terminal blocks. It will be appreciated, however, that other snap-in electrical or electronic devices, such as fuses or circuit breakers, may also be arranged adjacent to each other on the support rail 1 and may be marked by the apparatus shown. For the sake of simplicity of illustration only, the electrical component 2 will also be referred to below as a terminal block 2.

Fig. 1, 2 and 4 show a marking apparatus with differently equipped support rails 1. In the three cases, the viewing direction adopted by the presentation device is the same. Fig. 3 shows the marking device according to fig. 2 with the support rail 1 and the patch panel 2 from another viewing direction.

For receiving the support rail 1 with the patch panel 2 and for performing a pivoting movement of the support rail 1 with the patch panel 2, the marking device comprises a pivoting device 10. The marking (labeling) on the wiring board 2 is itself performed by the laser device 20. In the following, the pivoting device 10 and then the laser device 20 will be described in further detail.

The pivoting device 10 comprises a frame 11 in which a carrier 12 designed in the form of a pendulum is rotatably arranged about its longitudinal axis. The carriage 12 comprises a longitudinal support 13 which extends in the longitudinal direction and is arranged eccentrically at both ends with respect to the axis of rotation by means of a pivot arm 14. Which is pivotally mounted in a corresponding bearing at the end of the frame 11 and connected to the drive 16. For example, the driver 16 is an actuator driver having a position encoder. In order to achieve a high torque and a corresponding rapid rotational acceleration, and thus a reduction in the positioning time, a dc motor, optionally with a rotational speed reduction function, is particularly suitable for the actuation drive.

For the purpose of marking, the support rail with the terminal block 2 is attached to a longitudinal support 13, for which the longitudinal support 13 is provided with a receiving base 131. Further details of the receiving base 131 and the longitudinal support 13 are clearly shown in fig. 5a-5c, which show different views of the pivoting device 10 separated from the laser device 20 and without the support rail 1 attached. Fig. 5a shows an isometric view, fig. 5b shows a side view and fig. 5c shows a top view of the pivoting device 10.

At one end of the longitudinal support 13, a fixed receiving lug 132 is provided, under which the end of the support rail 1 is moved in order to fix the support rail on the receiving base 131 on this side. The other end of the support rail 1 is fixed by a similar receiving cam 152, which is not fixed but is arranged on the movable slide 15. The slide 15 is guided on the longitudinal support 13 so as to be longitudinally displaceable, for which purpose, in this embodiment, for example, a guide rail 135 is provided alongside the longitudinal support 13. The slider 15 is equipped with a quick release lever 151, which effects the fixing or releasing of the locking of the slider 15 on the longitudinal support 13. After releasing the slide 15, it can be moved in the direction of the connected support rail 1 until a receiving cam 152 (see fig. 5b, 5c) fixed on the slide 15 secures the support rail 1 to the receiving base 131.

Further, in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal bracket 13, a side guide plate 133 is provided on the side edge of the receiving base 131, guiding the support rail 1 laterally along the entire length.

In fig. 6, a cross section through a longitudinal support 13 with attached support rail 1 is shown. The side guide plate 133 laterally surrounds the support rail 1 in a lower region. The side guide plates 133 are preferably spring steel plates so that they can compensate for the width tolerance of the support rail 1. The side guide plates 133 are preferably designed to be thin enough and to project far enough above the receiving base 131 that they actually guide and position the support rail 1, but do not collide with the clamped electrical component 2. This is possible because the support rail carrier on the electrical device 2 usually comprises a small lateral free space at least in the lower region of the support rail. The side guide plates 133 are particularly helpful for the longer support rails 1, since the longer support rails 1 are prone to sagging for production and/or transportation reasons. Due to this sagging, an accurate positioning of the support rail and thus of the marked electrical components will not be reached or achieved by the side guide plate 133.

Further, in the receiving base 131, a plurality of electromagnets 134 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the support rail 13. After the connection of the support rails 1, the electromagnets 134 are energized individually, in groups or collectively so that they can firmly fix the support rails 134 and no gaps occur due to sagging of the receiving base 131. The current supply to the electromagnet 134 is via a rotating feed conductor 17, which is preferably arranged on the opposite side of the pivoting device 10 to the drive 16.

Due to the movability of the slide 15, it is possible to insert support rails 1 of different lengths in the pivoting device 10. Due to the fixing mode of the supporting rails, the supporting rails with different heights can be inserted.

Fig. 4 shows an example of a support rail 1 with a shorter insertion. In this case, all electromagnets 134 can also be energized. Alternatively, it is also possible to energize only some of the electromagnets 134 in the region of the actually inserted support rail 1.

As also shown in fig. 6, a passage extending in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal holder 13 is formed in the longitudinal holder 13, through which passage a cable for energizing the electromagnet 134 can extend. In addition, the channel 136 also serves to reduce weight in order to minimize the moment of inertia of the carrier 12 in order to achieve high rotational acceleration with the lowest torque possible.

Due to the pivoting arm 14, the receiving base 131 of the support rail 1 is arranged eccentrically to the axis of rotation during rotation. Preferably, the receiving base 131 is spaced apart from the rotation axis by a distance in the range of 20 to 30 millimeters (mm), particularly about 23 mm. The reason is that on average the centre of gravity of the electrical component 2 to be marked, in particular the terminal block, is about 23mm above the support rail bracket of the electrical component 2. If the receiving base 131 is spaced from the axis of rotation by the above-mentioned spacing, the electrical device 2 rotates on average about its own center of gravity, enabling a fast rotation that is as free of inertia as possible. Thus, the force generated during the acceleration of the rotation is minimized. In this way, as high a rotational acceleration as possible can be achieved, so that as fast a pivoting movement as possible is achieved, shortening the marking process as a whole.

Preferably, the driver 16 and the rotating feed conductor 17 are designed such that there is an unlimited angle of rotation during rotation of the carrier 12. In this manner, the rotational or pivotal movement of the carriage 12 can always occur in any direction without other existing limitations. The advantages that arise for the marking process will be explained in more detail further below.

As mentioned above, the laser device 20 is arranged laterally beside the pivoting device 10 in the region of the carrier 12. The marking itself on the electrical component 2, that is to say on the terminal block 2 in the example shown, is carried out by means of a laser head 21 which comprises all the necessary components for marking, in particular a laser, as well as a deflection unit and optionally a focusing unit in order to be able to deflect the laser beam for marking.

For marking the electrical device 2 with a laser different techniques may be used. For example, an infrared laser (e.g., CO) may be used₂Laser) as the laser of the laser head 21, emits light having a wavelength of about 10.6 micrometers (μm). When using an infrared laser, it is conventional practice to provide on the electrical device 2 marking surfaces that are sensitive to infrared radiation, which marking surfaces change colour when irradiated by the infrared laser, so that a marking is applied. The marking surface of the electrical device may be in the form of a sticker, an applied coating and/or by partly using a corresponding infrared-sensitive plastic.

Furthermore, it is possible and preferable to use a laser head 21 having a laser that emits ultraviolet rays in a wavelength range from about 190 to 380 nanometers (nm), particularly, a laser that emits light having a wavelength of 355 nm. Such a laser may be, for example, a Nd: YAG laser or a CO with triple downstream frequency₂A laser. The advantage of light in the ultraviolet wavelength range is that the marking can be applied on almost any plastic surface. As before, the electrical devices may include designated areas for marking, but they do not necessarily need to have special coatings or special plastics. Furthermore, it is also possible to apply a mark on an area of the electrical device that is not specifically designated. Furthermore, by suitable parameters and focusing of the laser radiation, not only a change in the solid color can be used for marking, but also material removal or material modification of the marking material can be achieved, which makes the marking perceptible (tactile marking).

The laser head 21 is actuated by a control device (not shown here) in order to apply marks within the focal zone 4. The focus area 4 is shown in fig. 1-4. The exact size and spacing of the focal zones 4 in front of the laser head 21 depends on the projection characteristics of the laser head 21. Within the focal zone 4, the laser head 21 can apply marks, in particular characters, numbers and/or symbols, on the surface to be marked. Generally, the laser beam generated in the laser head 21 is deflected by a plurality of rotatable or pivotable mirrors to reach each point in the focal zone 4. Since the mirrors have a low inertia, the movement of the mirrors and thus the deflection of the laser beam is a fast process compared to other mechanical movements in the system.

As can be seen from fig. 1-4, the focal area 4 is smaller than the maximum length of the support track 1 with the electrical component 2 to be marked. In order to be able to mark along the entire length of the support rail 1, the laser device 20 has a linear guide 22 in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal support 13. This direction is referred to as z-direction below. The linear guide 22 extends substantially the entire length of the carriage 12 of the pivoting device 10. The linear guide 22 may be formed of, for example, a spindle drive type or a rack drive type. However, other drive forms are possible. For the sake of clarity, the drive motor of the linear guide 22 is not explicitly shown in the figures.

On the movable slide of the linear guide 22, the laser head 21 is fixed by a support that allows positioning of the laser head 21 in the x and y directions perpendicular to the z direction. In the embodiment shown, a linear guide 23 in the x-direction and a linear guide 24 in the y-direction are provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the x-direction extends horizontally and the y-direction extends vertically.

Due to the movement of the laser head 21 in the x-direction by the linear guide 23, the spacing of the laser head 21 from the area to be marked can be varied. Due to the movement in the y-direction with the aid of the linear guide 24, an area to be marked which is located further above or below can be reached. If the laser head 21 is capable of adjusting the focal length internally, the linear guide 23 can be omitted and designed as a carriage with a fixed pitch. If the various models of the electrical components 2 to be marked do not involve great differences in component height, then in some cases the linear guides in the y-direction can be dispensed with and the corresponding linear guides 24 can be designed as fixing brackets. The difference in height relates to the variation in the spacing between the area to be marked and the support track.

The marking process will be described in further detail below.

For applying marks on the electrical devices 2 supporting the track 1, the laser head 21 is moved with the aid of the linear guide 22 so that at least some of the marks to be applied are located in the region of the focal zone 4. In the example of fig. 1, a marking plane 3 is drawn, which represents the plane in which markings are applied to different patch panels 2. For example, in the example of fig. 1, a plurality of identical terminal blocks 2 are arranged on a support rail 1, wherein the regions to be marked on different sides of the terminal blocks 2 are arranged on contacts at different heights (relative to the support rail 1). On the marking plane 3, all the markings are received, which can be applied on one or more of the terminal blocks 2 without the need to rotate the carriage 12 or to move the laser head 21.

Thus, the different marking planes 3 are brought one after the other into the plane of the focus area 4, which is a result of pivoting the carriage 12 and optionally actuating the linear guide 22 in the z-direction and/or actuating the linear guide 23 in the x-direction and/or actuating the linear guide 24 in the z-direction. All marks that are located in the focal area 4 after being located on the mark plane 3 are applied by the laser head 21 before the subsequent planes of the mark plane are brought into the focal area 4.

After all marking planes 3 have been processed (either by pivoting movement of the carriage 12 or by using linear guides 23, 24 in the x or y direction), the marking to be applied may additionally be carried out after the laser head 21 has been guided linearly in the z direction by means of the linear guide 22, in the case of longer support rails 1.

As shown in fig. 3, markings may also be applied to the underside of patch panel 2 due to the pivotability of bracket 12 as desired. The free pivotability also enables the lower side of the longitudinal support 13 to be switched to the other side of the printed circuit board 2. For example, if oblique, downwardly sloping marking zones are provided on both sides of the terminal block 2, a rotation on the lower side (that is to say not the upper side of the terminal block 2 is subjected to a rotation of the laser head 21, but rather the lower side of the longitudinal support 13) will result in a rotation of less than 180 °, rather than having to make a rotation of more than 180 ° on the upper side.

List of reference numerals

1 support rail

2 electric device (terminal board)

3 marking a plane

4 area of focus

10 pivoting device

11 frame

12 bracket

13 longitudinal support

131 receiving base

132 fixed receiving lug

133 side guide plate

134 electromagnet

135 guide part

136 channel

14 pivoting arm

15 movable slide

151 quick release lever

152 movable receiving projection

16 driver

17 rotating feed conductor

20 laser device

21 laser head

22 Linear guide (in z direction)

23 additional linear guides (in the x-direction)

24 additional linear guides (in the y-direction).