DE102021201000A1 - Module for snapping onto a mounting rail - Google Patents

Abstract

The module (2) is used to snap onto a mounting rail (4) and has a locking mechanism (34) for this purpose. This comprises an adjusting mechanism (38) with an upper and a lower latching hook (50, 60), which are preferably both movable against a spring force and engage reversibly in a bulge (16) in which the support rail (4) rests. The locking hooks (50, 60) are actuated for unlocking when an unlocking lever (36) arranged in particular in a pivotable manner on the housing is actuated via a linear displacement of an actuating arm (40). The snap-in hooks (50,60) automatically snap into place with the support rail (4) when snapped on by spring force. A blocking arm (42) is preferably provided, which blocks displacement of the actuating arm (40) when the module (2) is snapped on. This enables simple assembly and disassembly and, in particular, linear sliding.

Description

The invention relates to a module which is designed to be snapped onto a mounting rail extending in a longitudinal direction.

In many electrical systems, electronic modules are used, which can be snapped onto a DIN rail next to one another. Such modular systems consist of several modules and are also used in particular in control systems for industrial processes. The individual modules can be control modules that supply individual system parts with control signals and/or with energy. Furthermore, the modules are designed, for example, as measurement modules which acquire measurement data from sensors and process and forward this. Such modules can also be designed as fuses or circuit breakers, for example in switch cabinets.

So-called process data acquisition systems are used in industrial plants, by means of which measurement data are recorded and evaluated synchronously and simultaneously across several areas of the industrial plant. Appropriate evaluation of the time-synchronous measurement data recorded at different points in the industrial plant makes it possible to derive causal relationships between different production stages and thus derive suitable measures, for example to increase process quality or process availability.

In general, several modules are snapped onto the mounting rail next to each other. The modules are often electrically connected to one another either for data exchange or for a common power supply. Inside the module are electronic components that differ depending on the function of the module. A respective module generally has a locking mechanism with which the module is reliably held on the mounting rail. The simplest possible assembly, disassembly or a simple addition or replacement option is also sought. Different module types are combined with each other, especially in industrial controls or process data acquisition systems.

High demands are placed on the mechanical attachment of such modules, especially in an industrial environment. In particular, such modules must be secured in a vibration-proof manner, i. H. Vibrations or other mechanical shock-like loads must not lead to unintentional loosening.

From the DE 10 2006 057 766 A1 an electronic module can be seen, which has a fixed snap-in hook and a movable snap-in hook for snapping onto a top-hat rail. A sliding element is arranged on the back of the module for mobility. To fasten the module, it is first hooked into the fixed latching hook and then swiveled onto the DIN rail. To release, the slide element is moved into an open position using a tool that can be inserted from the side, so that the module can be swung down from the top-hat rail again. However, this structure makes it difficult to assemble or disassemble multiple modules.

Proceeding from this, the invention is based on the object of specifying a module which can be snapped onto a mounting rail in a particularly simple and at the same time reliable manner and can also be removed from it again.

The object is achieved according to the invention by an electronics module for snapping onto a mounting rail extending in a longitudinal direction, the module having a housing which extends in a vertical direction from a lower end to an upper end and also in a transverse direction and extends in the longitudinal direction. These three directions are oriented orthogonally to one another. The housing has a rear wall which is oriented toward the mounting rail and has an indentation. The indentation serves to accommodate the mounting rail. The indentation itself in turn has an abutment wall. The support rail is often designed in the manner of a top-hat rail and typically has an upper and lower leg. In the snapped-on state, these typically lie against the contact wall in the indentation. A locking mechanism is also arranged on the housing and is designed to lock the housing onto the mounting rail. The latching mechanism is therefore attached overall in or on the housing. The latch mechanism is generally adjustable between a locked position and an unlocked position. When the module is snapped on, the module is mechanically held securely on the mounting rail in the closed position. In the unlocked position, the module can be removed from the mounting rail. The closed position is preferably at the same time an initial position, which the latching mechanism assumes, in particular by spring force and automatically, ie both in the latched state and in a state in which the module is not latched onto the mounting rail.

The locking mechanism itself has an unlocking lever mounted on the housing. This is preferably permanently and firmly connected to the housing. Special is the release lever an upper side of the housing and in particular pivotably mounted.

The latching mechanism also has an actuating mechanism which can be actuated by the unlocking lever for transferring from the closed position into the unlocked position. The adjusting mechanism in turn has an adjusting arm that can be displaced linearly along the longitudinal direction against a spring force, as well as an upper and a lower latching hook. For this purpose, the actuating arm is preferably positively guided in a linear guide defined by the housing. In the closed position, the two latching hooks engage in the indentation in such a way that, in the latched-on position, they engage behind the mounting rail, in particular the aforementioned edge-side legs of the mounting rail. At least one of these latching hooks is movably mounted so that it can be reversibly inserted and removed from the indentation. The position at which it is withdrawn from the indentation corresponds to the unlocked position.

The at least one movable latching hook is mounted in such a way that when the housing is latched onto the mounting rail, it automatically gives way and positively engages behind the mounting rail to form the closed position. This latching hook is mounted against a spring force, which means that the spring force presses the latching hook into the closed position and holds it there. Furthermore, the unlocking lever and the adjusting mechanism are designed such that when the adjusting mechanism is actuated by the unlocking lever, the adjusting arm is linearly displaced along the longitudinal direction and the at least one movable latching hook is transferred to the unlocked position during this displacement. Between the at least one movable latching hook and the actuating arm, in particular, an alternating forced guidance is formed. This means that a movement of the actuating arm necessarily leads to a corresponding movement of the movable latching hook and vice versa. This means that a movement of the locking hook, which is caused, for example, by the mounting rail when it is snapped on, also leads to a movement of the actuating arm.

The module described here is characterized in particular by a simple, tool-free assembly option, which is formed by the integrated unlocking lever. In addition, the special snap-in mechanism means that the module can be simply and intuitively placed on the DIN rail without the need for any special measures. It is easy to snap on without tools and disassemble without tools.

In a preferred embodiment, the actuating mechanism also has a blocking arm which, in the closed position, blocks movement of the actuating arm along the vertical direction. For this purpose, the blocking arm itself is preferably blocked against a linear displacement along the vertical direction in the closed position. Due to this mechanical positive locking of the actuating arm, the latching hook cannot move out of the closed position due to the mechanical forced guidance between the actuating arm and the movable latching hook. A mechanically particularly reliable securing of the module on the mounting rail is therefore ensured by the blocking arm. This achieves a particularly robust and, in particular, vibration-proof attachment. This prevents unwanted loosening due to vibrations.

The blocking arm and the actuating arm are preferably mechanically connected to one another so that they jointly carry out the linear movement. They preferably form a one-piece and in particular a monolithic component. This is specifically a cast component, in particular a plastic component. A one-piece component is generally understood to mean a fixed, non-detachable connection between the locking arm and the actuating arm, so that they form a single component. The particular advantage of this configuration can be seen in the fact that due to the blocked mobility of the blocking arm in the closed position, the mobility of the actuating arm is blocked at the same time.

The blocking arm can preferably be transferred from a blocking position to a release position with the aid of the unlocking lever. In the blocked position, the linear movement is blocked and released in the release position. This supports removal of the module from the mounting rail by simply releasing it using the release lever. Conversely, in a preferred embodiment, the blocking arm is automatically transferred from the blocking position to the release position when the housing is snapped onto the mounting rail. So no separate action, in particular no actuation of the release lever or any other lever or control element is required for snapping.

In a preferred embodiment, the blocking arm can be transferred between the blocking position and the release position by a pivoting movement. Overall, therefore, the blocking arm performs two movements during the transition from the closed position to the unlocked position of the module, namely initially a pivoting movement in a first stage to release the lock and then in a second stage a linear movement together with the actuating arm.

Furthermore, it is provided in particular that an elastic restoring force is exerted on the blocking arm in the direction of the blocking position. This elastic restoring force is exerted, for example, by a separate elastic element, such as a spring element. However, this elastic restoring force preferably takes place through an elastic connection between the blocking arm and the actuating arm. These two arms are therefore preferably connected to one another via an elastic connection.

To block the movement of the actuating arm, the blocking arm is preferably supported with a lower end in the closed position and at least in the latched state on an abutment. In the snapped-on state, this is formed in particular by the support rail itself. In the closed position, the blocking arm therefore preferably engages in the bulge, i. H. the locking arm penetrates a housing wall. In the latched state, it is supported on the mounting rail, in particular on an end edge of one of the legs of the mounting rail. A linear movement is blocked by this support. As an alternative to this, an abutment is arranged within the housing, on which the blocking arm is supported.

In an expedient development, the unlocking lever interacts with the actuating mechanism in such a way that when the unlocking lever is actuated, it first removes the blocking by the blocking arm and then actuates the actuating arm. It is therefore only a single, continued movement of the unlocking lever in a 2-stage process first released the lock and then actuates the actuating arm and thus transferred the at least one movable latching hook in the unlocked position. In a preferred embodiment, the unlocking lever acts for this purpose preferably only on the blocking arm and in particular on an upper end of the blocking arm in such a way that it initially pivots into its release position and is then displaced along the vertical direction together with the actuating arm.

If in the present case a displacement of the actuating arm along the vertical direction is generally spoken of, then this is generally understood to mean a movement in or against the vertical direction. In the present case, the direction of the vertical direction is defined from a bottom side of the housing to a top side of the housing, the unlocking lever being arranged on this top side. In a preferred embodiment, the unlocking lever exerts a pushing force on the adjusting mechanism, so that it executes a pushing movement counter to the vertical direction. In principle, the movement sequences described here can also be implemented by a pulling movement, ie if the actuating mechanism is pulled upwards in the vertical direction by the unlocking lever.

In a particularly expedient embodiment, the blocking arm and the actuating arm are connected to one another via an elastic bending area. In particular, a bending axis for the blocking arm is defined by the bending area, around which it can be pivoted. The blocking arm is therefore mounted on the actuating arm in a flexible manner. Specifically, the locking arm is movable toward the actuator arm. For this purpose, a slot is preferably formed between the blocking arm and the actuating arm. The blocking arm and the actuating arm are connected to one another, in particular at their upper end area, via the elastic bending area. In particular, the unlocking lever continues to act exclusively on the blocking arm. The elastic restoring force in the starting and locking position of the locking arm is exerted by this elastic bending area.

At the upper end of the blocking arm, on which the unlocking lever acts, a point of engagement is preferably formed, for example in the form of a lever arm, which is arranged in particular above the bending area. The unlocking lever engages at this point and thus initially exerts a torque on the blocking arm, so that it is pivoted about the bending axis and the blocking arm reaches its release position.

The release lever and locking arm are therefore generally configured such that such torque is generated upon actuation of the release lever. For this purpose, for example, the mutually corresponding contact surfaces on the unlocking lever and on the arm are suitably designed, for example beveled, curved, etc. Specifically, the point at which the unlocking lever acts on the blocking arm is eccentric and thus arranged at a distance from the bending axis.

In a particularly expedient embodiment, both latching hooks are movable, with one being able to reversibly dip into the indentation from above and the other from below. A spring force, which is oriented in particular in the direction of the closed position, acts on each of the latching hooks. In particular, the spring force acting on the actuating arm is transferred to the two movable latching hooks. The two latching hooks are generally designed in such a way that when the housing is snapped onto the mounting rail, they automatically give way against the spring force and positively engage behind the mounting rail to form the closed or locking position. Furthermore, the adjusting mechanism is designed such that at a Actuation of the unlocking lever of the actuating arm is moved and that during the shift, the latching hooks are both transferred to the unlocked position.

This configuration with the two movable snap-in hooks, both of which automatically deviate when snapped on and which are also both simultaneously transferred to the unlocking position by the actuating mechanism, has the particular advantage that this allows the module to be pushed open linearly in the transverse direction and thus in a plug-in direction the mounting rail is enabled. At the same time, linear removal against the direction of insertion is also possible. Both attachment and removal are possible without tools. All you need to do to remove it is to unlock it using the unlocking lever. The housing can be snapped onto the support rail and released again from it, preferably without a pivoting movement, solely by means of a linear movement along the transverse direction

In an expedient embodiment, the housing has a mechanical linear guide running in the transverse direction, via which two adjacent modules are guided linearly next to one another. This linear guide is in particular a rail. The two adjacent modules are guided to one another in particular in the manner of a tongue and groove connection.

The linear ability to slide is particularly advantageous in connection with an embodiment in which electrical contact is made with adjacent modules via the side walls of the housing with contact plugs arranged therein, as for example in the patent which was unpublished at the time of filing DE 10 2020 215 496.1 are described by the applicant. In a preferred embodiment, such a contact plug or contact connector is therefore arranged in at least one of the two laterally opposite side walls of the housing.

However, the special mechanism described above with the blocking arm is basically also possible in a variant in which only one latching hook is movable and the other latching hook is fixed and the module can be snapped on by a pivoting movement.

In a preferred embodiment, one of the two latching hooks, in particular the lower latching hook, is arranged on the actuating arm and in particular is a one-piece part of the actuating arm. This latching hook can therefore be moved along the vertical direction with the actuating arm and is forcibly carried along with it.

One of the two latching hooks, especially the other latching hook and in particular the upper latching hook, is preferably designed as a pivotable latching hook which is mounted so that it can pivot about a pivot axis. This pivotable locking hook interacts with the actuating arm and is positively guided by it.

Overall, therefore, both latching hooks are mechanically constrained to the actuating arm. Due to the pivotable mounting of one latching hook, the two latching hooks are moved in opposite directions with just one linear movement of the actuating arm. Specifically, when unlocking, the upper latching hook is moved upwards by a pivoting movement and the lower latching hook is moved downwards by a linear movement.

The pivotable locking hook is generally part of a rocker which can be pivoted about the pivot axis and which has two rocker arms. The locking hook is formed on one rocker arm and the other rocker arm interacts with the actuating arm of the actuating mechanism. In particular, the actuating arm has an opening, in particular a slot open to the side, into which this other rocker arm of the rocker engages. This results in forced guidance in and against the vertical direction between the rocker and the actuating arm.

One of the two latching hooks, preferably the pivotable latching hook, is preferably made of a conductive material. Furthermore, a shielding structure is preferably arranged in the housing, which has, for example, a shielding plate or a shielding plane. This screen structure is electrically conductively connected to the latching hook made of the conductive material. In this way, a ground contact is achieved with the mounting rail, which is typically made of metal. The shielding structure and the mounting rail are at the same ground potential. The conductive latching hook therefore has a dual function. On the one hand, it is used for mechanical fixation and, on the other hand, it forms a ground or shield contact due to its conductive design. This conductive latching hook consists in particular of metal, specifically of copper.

As an alternative to this, both snap-in hooks and in particular the entire snap-in mechanism are made of plastic, possibly with the exception of the aforementioned spring element.

For electrically conductive contacting of the screen structure, this preferably has an elastic contact arm which is conductive at least directly rests against the locking hook. Specifically, this elastic contact arm rests against the rocker. This has, for example, on or in the area of the pivot axis, a protruding contact nub on which the elastic contact arm rests. Alternatively, the shielding structure is electrically contacted, for example, by a conductive bearing bush, in which a pivot bolt of the rocker rests and which is conductively connected to the shielding structure.

The adjusting mechanism generally has the one-piece adjusting element formed by the adjusting arm and the blocking arm and, as a further independent component, the rocker which is pivotably mounted on the housing.

The actuating arm preferably has a first flat partial area which extends in the vertical direction and the transverse direction and is in particular only arranged within this plane spanned by the vertical direction and the transverse direction. This first flat portion is connected to the locking arm via the elastic flex portion. The blocking arm also preferably extends only within the plane spanned by the vertical direction and the transverse direction. The first flat subarea and the blocking arm are formed in an upper area, ie in an area oriented towards the unlocking lever. A second sub-area of the actuating arm adjoins the first flat sub-area at the bottom. This second sub-area extends in the longitudinal direction, ie specifically perpendicular to the first sub-area. At its lower end, the second partial area has the lower latching hook, which extends over a section in the longitudinal direction. In particular, the lower latching hook extends over the entire length of the bulge in the longitudinal direction. At the same time, the second section has a slot into which the rocker engages with one arm. The rocker itself also extends in the longitudinal direction and its locking hook preferably also extends over at least largely the entire length of the bulge in the longitudinal direction.

To exert the spring force on the actuating mechanism and in particular the actuating arm, a spring element, preferably a compression spring, is preferably generally provided, which is supported on one side on an abutment of the housing and on the other side on the blocking arm. The spring acts along the vertical direction and pushes the blocking arm in the vertical direction in particular upwards.

As already mentioned, viewed in the vertical direction, the housing has an upper side and the unlocking lever is arranged on this upper side. With this arrangement, the release lever is always accessible and can be operated. The unlocking lever is preferably arranged so that it can pivot and has in particular two lever arms, namely a gripping arm on the one hand, on which the unlocking lever can be gripped manually by hand. Furthermore, it has an opposite actuating arm, which acts on an upper end of the actuating mechanism and in particular of the blocking arm.

In a preferred embodiment, provision is also made for the unlocking lever to be locked in position in the unlocked position. The unlocking lever is therefore fixed mechanically and thus holds the entire locking mechanism in the unlocked position. This has the particular advantage that the unlocked position is maintained against the spring force acting on the adjusting mechanism. This means that several modules arranged side by side can be removed from the mounting rail at the same time. In particular, a complete module block can be removed from the mounting rail at the same time and together.

• 1 ein ausschnittsweise dargestelltes Gehäuse eines Moduls mit Blick auf eine Rastmechanik in einer Position vor einem Aufrasten auf eine Tragschiene,
• 2, eine vergrößerte, ausschnittsweise Darstellung gemäß 1 in einer Position, bei der die Tragschiene in eine rückseitige Ausbuchtung einliegt, jedoch noch nicht verriegelt ist,
• 3 die Darstellung gemäß 2 bei verriegelter Tragschiene,
• 4 eine vergrößerte Darstellung des mit einem Kreis in 3 markierten Bereiches ohne Wippe,
• 5 eine Darstellung gemäß 3, jedoch zu Beginn eines Entriegelungs-Vorgangs,
• 6 die Darstellung gemäß 5, jedoch bei fortgeschrittenem Entriegelungs- Vorgang, bei der die Tragschiene vollständig entriegelt ist, sowie
• 7 eine Explosionsdarstellung eines Teiles des Gehäuses und der Rastmechanik.

An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. These show in partially simplified representations:

• 1 a housing of a module, shown in part, with a view of a locking mechanism in a position before it is snapped onto a mounting rail,
• 2 , an enlarged, partial representation according to 1 in a position in which the support rail lies in a recess on the back, but is not yet locked,
• 3 the representation according to 2 with locked mounting rail,
• 4 an enlarged view of the with a circle in 3 marked area without seesaw,
• 5 a representation according to 3 , but at the beginning of an unlocking process,
• 6 the representation according to 5 , but with an advanced unlocking process, in which the mounting rail is fully unlocked, and
• 7 an exploded view of a part of the housing and the locking mechanism.

Parts that function in the same way are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures.

The electronics module 2 shown only partially in the figures is used for snapping onto a mounting rail 4 designed in particular as a top-hat rail. The respective module 2 is in particular part of a modular system consisting of several modules, which are arranged side by side in the mounted position together on the mounting rail 4. The modular system is in particular part of an industrial control or monitoring system for industrial processes. In particular, the modules 2 are part of a process data acquisition system mentioned at the outset. The different modules 2 of the modular system are designed, for example, as acquisition modules for acquiring measurement and process data and forwarding them and/or as modules for processing and evaluating such process or measurement data. The modular system also includes a communication module, via which the measurement data recorded via the recording modules are transmitted to a higher-level evaluation unit. The data transmission between the modules 2 and in particular to the communication module is looped through the individual modules via suitable contact plugs.

A respective module has a housing 6 which extends in the longitudinal direction 8 from a bottom to a top 10 . The housing 6 also has a front face 12 which, as the operating side, faces the user in the latched state. On the opposite side, the housing 6 has a rear side formed by a rear wall 14 . Finally, the housing has two opposite side walls 26 which connect the rear wall 14 to the front face 12 . In the rear wall 14 a bulge 16 is introduced. This is used to hold the mounting rail 4. In the exemplary embodiment, the mounting rail 4 is designed as a top-hat rail which, viewed in cross-section, has angled legs 18 that are opposite one another. In the mounted, snapped-on state, these legs 18 rest against a contact wall 20 of the bulge 16 .

The housing 6 and thus the module 2 extend in the transverse direction 22 which extends from the front face 12 to the rear wall 14 . Furthermore, the housing 6 and the mounting rail 4 extend in the longitudinal direction 24, which extends into the plane of the paper. In the longitudinal direction 24, the housing is closed on both sides by the opposite side walls 26.

In at least one and preferably in both of these side walls 26 openings are made here, not shown in detail, in which the contact plugs are used. The contact plugs are used for mutual contacting and transmission of data in the longitudinal direction 24 between the individual modules. The structure of this special contact plug is particularly in the DE 10 2020 215 496.1 described. They are designed in such a way that contacting takes place automatically when adjacent modules 2 are pushed on linearly in the plug-in and thus in the transverse direction 22 . In the snapped-on state, the modules 2 are electrically connected to one another—preferably exclusively—in the longitudinal direction via the contact plugs mounted in the side walls 26, in particular for data exchange and additionally also for the power supply.

The modules 2 are designed for a linear latching in the transverse direction 22 . For this purpose, the modules 2 also have, in particular, linear guides 32 which are formed in the side walls 26 in the manner of rails.

A special locking mechanism 34 is designed for simple, intuitive fastening of the modules 2 on the mounting rail 4 with reliable mechanical fastening and simple unlocking at the same time, as will be explained in more detail below. The locking mechanism 34 generally has an unlocking lever 36 and an actuating mechanism 38 . In the exemplary embodiment, the locking mechanism 34 has no further components.

All modules 2 of the modular system preferably each have such a latching mechanism 34 and can in particular be latched linearly onto the mounting rail 4 in the transverse direction 22 . Overall, with such a modular system, it is possible to remove/replace a central module 2, which is therefore snapped onto the mounting rail between two adjacent modules. Especially in connection with the electrical contacting of adjacent modules 2 via contact plugs in adjacent side walls 26 - as in the DE 10 2020 215 496.1 are described by the applicant - the particular advantage is also achieved that no electrical contacts and lines are formed on the rear wall 14, in particular for communication of the individual modules 2, for example via a data bus.

The adjusting mechanism 38 in turn has and is formed, in particular in the exemplary embodiment, by a monolithic, one-piece adjusting element, a rocker 44 and a spring element 46 designed as a compression spring (cf. in particular the 7 ). The control element consists of a control arm 40 and a locking arm 42.

The rocker 44 is pivoted about a pivot axis 48 . For this purpose, the rocker 44 has a bearing element formed, for example, by a bolt, with which it is mounted on the housing 6 . The rocker 44 also has two rocker arms, an upper latching hook 50 being formed on one arm and the other rocker arm 52 resting in a slot 54 of the actuating arm 40 .

The actuator arm 40 and the locking arm 42 are connected to each other by a flexible flex area 56 at their respective upper ends. In the exemplary embodiment, the blocking arm 42 is essentially plate-shaped and extends in the vertical direction 8 from a lower end to an upper end. The upper end is arranged above the elastic bending area 56 and is designed in the manner of a lever arm 58 .

The actuating arm 40 can be divided into a first upper section 40a and a second, lower section 40b. In the exemplary embodiment, the upper partial area 40a is plate-shaped and extends within a plane that is spanned by the transverse direction 22 and the vertical direction 8 . Contrary to the vertical direction 8, the lower partial area 40b follows. The aforementioned slit 54 is formed in this lower portion 40b and in an upper portion there. At the lower end, an angled arm extends in the transverse direction 22 and has a lower latching hook 60 at the end. In the exemplary embodiment, the actuating arm 40 below the rocker 44 has an angled section that extends in the transverse direction 22 . The spring element 46 acts on this from below, which is supported with its lower end on a shaped housing shoulder.

The release lever 36 is pivotally attached to the top 10 and is permanently attached. Similar to the rocker 44 , it can be pivoted about a further pivot axis 48 and for this purpose also has a bearing element such as a bearing bush, with which it is mounted on a bolt of the housing 6 . On both sides of this further pivot axis 48, the unlocking lever 36 has two lever arms, namely a gripping arm 62 and an actuating arm 64. The gripping arm 62 is used for manually gripping and actuating the unlocking lever 36, whereas the actuating arm 64 pivots with the blocking arm 42 and in particular with whose upper end interacts.

The locking mechanism 34 works as follows:

a) closed position

In a starting or rest position, the locking mechanism takes in the 1 shown position. This corresponds to a closed position in which the latching hooks 50 , 60 dip into a recess 28 . An opening is formed in the rear wall 14 for this purpose. As in particular from the 7 shows, this is formed by a free space between the plate-shaped contact wall 20 and the rest of the rear wall 14. In the latched state, ie when the module 2 is latched to the mounting rail 4, the two latching hooks 50,60 engage behind the two legs 18 of the mounting rail 4, as shown in FIG 3 is shown. 3 therefore shows a locked position in the latched state.

In the starting position (closed position), the unlocking lever is also in its illustrated basic position, in which the unlocking lever 36 runs essentially parallel to the upper side 10 . The entire actuating element, ie actuating arm 40 and blocking arm 42, are pushed upwards by the spring force of spring element 46. For this purpose, a stop is provided on the housing 6 so that a defined position is assumed. In this position, the lower latching hook 60 is inserted into the bulge 16 from below. The rocker arm 52 is forcibly pressed upwards via the slot 44 and the actuating arm 40, so that the upper latching hook 50 penetrates into the recess 28 from above.

The locking arm 42 is in a locking position. In this it is aligned vertically. Its lower end is located immediately above the bulge 16 at a position where the upper leg 18 is located in the latched state. In the latched state, the lower end of the locking arm 42 is supported in the locked position on the edge of this leg 18, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG 4 can be seen. the 4 shows an enlarged view of the with a circle in 3 marked point, but for a better overview the rocker 44 is omitted.

b) latching into a locking position (closed position), Figures 1 to 4

From this starting position, the locking mechanism 34, in particular the adjusting mechanism 38, automatically and without the need to actuate the release lever 36, into the position shown in FIG 3 shown locking position: When pushing or plugging the module in the plugging direction and thus in the transverse direction 22 (pure linear displacement), the legs 18 first press the locking hooks 50,60 each out of the bulge 16, so that the locking hooks 50,60 down or up evade. This is accompanied by a linear displacement of the actuating arm 40 downwards against the vertical direction 8. This linear displacement is possible because in the non-locked state of the blocking arm 42—even if it is formally in its blocking position—such a movement does not yet block. The linear movement is blocked only in the latched state by the interaction with the support rail 4. In the closed position in the non-latched state without The locking arm 42 dips slightly downward into the bulge 16 on the mounting rail. When the support rail 4 is snapped on, the locking arm 42 is pushed away from the upper leg 18 against the transverse direction 22, as can be seen by comparing FIG 1 with the 2 is easy to see. It is thereby pivoted from its original vertical orientation into an oblique orientation.

By pushing away the latching hooks 50, 60, the actuating arm 40 is forced downwards against the spring force at the same time. If the legs get behind the latching hooks 50, 60 as you continue to snap them on, the actuating arm 40 is pushed back up into the original position by the spring force, whereby the two latching hooks 50, 60 move back into the recess 16 and engage behind the legs 18, like this for example in the 3 is shown.

At the same time, the blocking arm 42 is also pushed upwards together with the actuating arm 40 so that the lower end is arranged above the upper front edge of the upper leg 18 . An elastic restoring force is exerted on the blocking arm 42 in the transverse direction 22 via the elastic bending area 56 so that the latter now pivots back into its original blocking position and is located above the upper leg 18 in this blocking position. Except for a required tolerance play, the lower end is arranged directly above the leg 18 so that a linear displacement counter to the vertical direction 8 is blocked.

In order to enable the pivoting movement of the blocking arm 42 as described, the rear wall 14 has in the region of the bulge 16 the above-mentioned opening through which the blocking arm 42 can enter the bulge 16 with its lower end.

c) unlocking, Figures 5 and 6

For unlocking, an actuation of the unlocking lever 36 is required, wherein this is pivoted about the additional pivot axis 48 . For this purpose, the release lever 36 is pivoted upwards by means of the gripping arm 62 . The actuating arm 64 acts on the lever arm 58 of the blocking arm 52 . At the beginning of the unlocking process, for example when the unlocking lever 36 is pivoted for the first time by, for example, 10° to 30°, in particular up to 20°, a torque is exerted on the blocking arm 42 so that it can be rotated about a bending axis in the bending area 56 in the direction of the actuating arm 40 , ie is pivoted counter to the transverse direction 22 and is thereby transferred from its blocked position (vertical orientation of the blocking arm 42) into a release position (blocking arm is oriented at an angle to the vertical direction 8). In this position, the lower end is pivoted away from the leg 18 and linear displaceability of the blocking arm 42 and of the actuating arm 40 is made possible.

In a second stage of the unlocking process, the actuating element 40, 42 is now linearly displaced 5 and 6 results. As a result, the entire actuating element, ie both the blocking arm 42 and the actuating arm 40 connected to it, is pressed downwards against the vertical direction 8 . The latching hooks 50 , 60 are guided out of the recess 28 . In the case of the upper latching hook 50, this takes place by means of a pivoting movement in that the rocker arm 52 is forcibly pressed downwards and the upper latching hook 50 pivots away upwards. The lower locking hook 60 is forcibly moved as a one-piece part of the actuating arm 40 down.

In 6 Finally, the unlocking position is shown, from which the module 2 can be removed counter to the transverse direction 22.

How from the 6 It can also be seen that the unlocking lever 36 is in a latched position and is therefore mechanically fixed in this pivoted position. For this purpose, a latching element 66 formed on the unlocking lever engages behind a complementary latching element 68 on the housing. The latching element 66 is preferably formed in the area below the additional pivot axis 48 . The two latching elements 66, 68 are, for example, triangular in cross section. When the unlocking lever 36 is pivoted, the latching elements 66, 68 slide against one another along contact slopes before they engage behind one another in the unlocked position. To release this latch, the lever 36 must be pushed down again.

The rocker 44 is preferably formed from a conductive material, in particular from metal and especially from copper. The actuator arm 40 and locking arm are preferably formed of plastic. The rocker 44 is preferably connected in an electrically conductive manner to a screen structure that is not shown in detail here. This measure establishes a ground contact with the mounting rail 4.

As an alternative to this, all parts of the actuating mechanism 38, possibly except for the spring element 46, are made of plastic. The individual components are preferably injection molded components, especially the rocker 44 and the particular in the 7 easily recognizable one-piece component, which includes the actuating arm 40, the locking arm 42, up to the lower latching hook 60.

In general, different electrical and electronic components are integrated within the housing 6, which are either to be protected from interfering radiation from the outside or are to be shielded from the outside. The screen structure contributes to this. This can fundamentally be designed differently.

• Es ist ein ausschließlich lineares Aufschieben ermöglicht, eine Schwenkbewegung ist nicht erforderlich und nicht möglich.

The locking mechanism 34 described here is characterized in particular by the following special properties:

• An exclusively linear sliding is enabled, a pivoting movement is neither necessary nor possible.

No tools are required for either snapping on or unlocking, which means tool-free assembly and disassembly is possible. The module 2 can also be mounted in a vibration-proof manner on the mounting rail 4 without any preparation such as, for example, pretensioning a securing device, actuating a screw connection, etc. Apart from the locking mechanism 34 described, there are therefore no assembly safeguards for mechanically fixing the module 2 to the mounting rail.

Furthermore, the housing is automatically locked by snapping it onto the mounting rail. Overall, the module can be installed and removed intuitively.

Due to the special design of the blocking arm 42, a reliable mechanical locking is achieved, which in particular is also vibration-proof.

By latching the unlocking lever 36 in the unlocked position, several modules 2 can be removed from the mounting rail 4 as a common module block at the same time.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. On the contrary, other variants of the invention can also be derived from this by a person skilled in the art without departing from the subject matter of the invention. In particular, all of the individual features described in connection with the exemplary embodiment can also be combined with one another in other ways without departing from the subject matter of the invention.

Reference List

2

module

4

mounting rail

6

Housing

8th

vertical direction

10

top

12

front face

14

back panel

16

bulge

18

leg

20

plant wall

22

transverse direction

24

longitudinal direction

26

Side wall

28

recess

32

linear guide

34

locking mechanism

36

release lever

38

setting mechanism

40

actuator arm

40a

upper section

40b

lower section

42

locking arm

44

seesaw

46

spring element

48

pivot axis

50

upper latch hook

52

rocker arm

54

slot

56

bending range

58

lever arm

60

lower latch hook

62

gripper arm

64

operating arm

66

locking element

68

complementary locking element

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 102006057766 A1 [0006]
• DE 102020215496 [0027, 0046, 0049]

Claims (17)

Module for snapping onto a mounting rail extending in a longitudinal direction, having a housing which extends in a vertical direction, in a transverse direction and in a longitudinal direction, and which has - A rear panel with an indentation to accommodate the mounting rail, as well as - A latching mechanism for latching the housing on the mounting rail, the latching mechanism being adjustable between a closed position and an unlocked position and wherein which has a locking mechanism - a release lever mounted on the housing - An actuating mechanism which can be actuated by the unlocking lever for transferring from the closed position to the unlocked position, wherein has the actuating mechanism - an adjusting arm that is displaceably mounted in the longitudinal direction against a spring force, - An upper latching hook and a lower latching hook, which engage in the closed position in the indentation, wherein - At least one of these latching hooks is movably mounted and can be reversibly inserted and removed from the indentation, wherein - The at least one movable locking hook is mounted in such a way that it automatically gives way when the housing is snapped onto the mounting rail and positively engages behind the mounting rail to form the closed position, and - The unlocking lever and the adjusting mechanism are designed in such a way that when the adjusting mechanism is actuated by the unlocking lever, the adjusting arm is displaced and the at least one movable latching hook is transferred into the unlocking position during the displacement. module after claim 1 , wherein the actuating mechanism has a blocking arm which blocks movement of the actuating arm along the vertical direction in the closed position, the blocking arm being blocked for this purpose in the closed position in particular against a linear displacement along the vertical direction. Module according to the preceding claim, wherein the locking arm and the actuating arm form a one-piece component. module after one of the claims 2 or 3 , wherein the locking arm can be transferred from a locked position to a release position with the aid of the unlocking lever, and preferably the locking arm can be automatically transferred from the locked position to the release position when the housing is snapped onto the mounting rail. Module according to the preceding claim, wherein the blocking arm can be transferred between the blocking position and the release position by a pivoting movement. module after one of the claims 2 until 5 , wherein an elastic restoring force is exerted on the locking arm. module after one of the claims 2 until 6 , wherein the blocking arm is designed in such a way that, in order to block the movement of the blocking arm, it is supported on an abutment, which is formed in particular by the mounting rail, at least when it is latched onto the mounting rail. module after one of the claims 2 until 7 , wherein the unlocking lever interacts with the actuating mechanism in such a way that when the unlocking lever is actuated, it first releases the blocking by the blocking arm and then actuates the actuating arm and for this purpose acts in particular on an upper end of the blocking arm, so that it initially pivots into the release performs position and is then moved along the vertical direction together with the adjustment arm. module after one of the claims 2 until 8th , wherein the locking arm and the actuating arm are connected to each other via an elastic bending area. Module according to one of the preceding claims, wherein both latching hooks are movable and can be inserted into the indentation from above or from below in such a way that they automatically give way when the housing is snapped onto the mounting rail and positively engage behind the mounting rail to form the closed position and that further the actuating mechanism is designed in such a way that when the unlocking lever is actuated, the actuating arm is displaced and the two latching hooks are transferred into the unlocked position during the displacement. Module according to one of the preceding claims, wherein one of the two latching hooks, in particular the lower latching hook, is arranged on the actuating arm and can be moved with it along the vertical direction. Module according to one of the preceding claims, wherein one of the two latching hooks, in particular the upper latching hook, is designed as a pivotable latching hook and is mounted pivotably about a pivot axis. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pivotable Rastha ken is part of a rocker pivotable about the pivot axis with two rocker arms, the latching hook being formed on one rocker arm and the actuating arm acting on the other rocker arm. Module according to one of the preceding claims, wherein one of the two latching hooks is formed from a conductive material and a shield structure is arranged which is electrically conductively connected to the latching hook made from the conductive material. Module according to one of the preceding claims and after claim 2 , wherein the adjusting arm has a first flat portion which extends in the vertical direction and the transverse direction and which is connected to the locking arm via an elastic bending area, the locking arm preferably only extending in a plane spanned by the vertical direction and the transverse direction, the adjusting arm has a second portion which extends perpendicularly in the vertical and transverse directions and adjoins the first portion and which has the lower latching hook at its lower end and which has a slot into which the rocker engages with one rocker arm. Module according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing, viewed in the vertical direction, has an upper side and the unlocking lever is arranged in particular in a pivotable manner on the upper side and has in particular two lever arms, namely a gripping arm and an actuating arm, the actuating arm acting on an upper end of the actuating mechanism . Module according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the unlocking lever is locked in position in the unlocked position.

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