Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • H01H3/00—Mechanisms for operating contacts
  • H01H3/02—Operating parts, i.e. for operating driving mechanism by a mechanical force external to the switch
  • H01H3/14—Operating parts, i.e. for operating driving mechanism by a mechanical force external to the switch adapted for operation by a part of the human body other than the hand, e.g. by foot
  • H01H3/141—Cushion or mat switches
  • H01H3/142—Cushion or mat switches of the elongated strip type
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
  • E05F—DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
  • E05F15/00—Power-operated mechanisms for wings
  • E05F15/40—Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
  • E05F15/42—Detection using safety edges
  • E05F15/44—Detection using safety edges responsive to changes in electrical conductivity
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
  • E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
  • E05Y2600/00—Mounting or coupling arrangements for elements provided for in this subclass
  • E05Y2600/40—Mounting location; Visibility of the elements

Definitions

• the invention relates to a safety contact strip with at least two conductive switching layers in a non-conductive, closed switching chamber within a profile forming an outer jacket.
• Safety contact strips are regularly used as closing edge safety devices at crushing and shearing points. Attached to gates, machines and handling equipment, such contact strips protect people and material. For this purpose, the known safety contact strips are mostly held on an attachment side in an aluminum carrier profile.
• a generic safety contact strip has a contactor profile held in a carrier profile, in which a separately trained one
• Safety contact strip is inserted in a switch camera within the outer jacket of the profile.
• the special shape of the contactor profiles consisting in particular of an EPDM or NBR rubber, protects the safety contact strips in the switching chamber from damage and not only enables switching loads for switching the contactor profile that are perpendicular to the opposite switching layers of the contactor profile.
• the safety contact strip can be seen in the fact that it can be introduced into a wide variety of contactor profiles, in which only the switching chamber has to be designed in cross section in accordance with the safety contact strip.
• the choice of material components offers further advantages with regard to a highly insulating outer sheath made of EPDM with two conductive switching layers on the inside. These switching layers can also consist of an EPDM material, which is regularly a comparatively poor electrical conductor. Therefore, metallic conductors, for example copper strands or special metal braids, which adhere well in the conductive layers, are often used in these conductive layers to reduce the ohmic resistance.
• Hollow chamber which has at least two opposite switching layers on the inside.
• safety contact strips With such safety contact strips, a low switching load is only necessary, but there is a great risk of the switching layers becoming dirty, for example if the profile breaks. Since these safety contact strips can be produced from a conductive and a non-conductive EPDM material, which materials also coextrude these safety contact strips, there is a great risk that the comparatively thin, external protective layer made of the non-conductive EPDM material will not be formed correctly and the conductive layer remains uninsulated on the outside and can easily be damaged.
• the invention makes it its task to provide a safety contact strip of the type in question of high quality, but of to provide a comparatively simple structure, which switches reliably even at low switching loads, not only from the direction to be expected.
• the profile, the switching chamber and the buttons are each formed in one piece with at least one embedded conductor.
• a one-piece design is advantageous in terms of production technology.
• the thickness of the walls of the switching chamber can be kept relatively low by the measures of the one-piece design without the risk of contamination if the outer jacket breaks.
• the measure of a thinner wall of the switching chamber further improves the response behavior of the safety contact strip when there is a switching load.
• the switching chamber is kept free in a cross section from spoke-like webs. At least two webs, preferably three or four webs, of a material thickness that move regularly in the area of the wall thickness of the profile in the area of the expected loads, hold the switching chamber, the wall of which is made significantly thinner. This is how one becomes safe application of force when the outer jacket of the switching layers within the switching chamber is loaded. In particular, this measure also enables force to be introduced not only in a preferred direction, but also from directions that are clearly oblique on the switching surfaces of the switching layers.
• an outer jacket of a profile, webs within a profile and a switching chamber form several separate chambers within the profile.
• Terpolymers and integrated metal conductors for example copper wires, copper strands, metal braids or the like, are used, as a result of which a significantly improved switching characteristic can also be achieved.
• the outer jacket of the profile made of TPE can be the measure of
• TPE is also significantly more resistant to a large number of chemical compounds, such as those found in occur in the automotive industry, where such safety contact strips are used, for example, in electric window regulators. It is also possible to specifically design the conductive EPDM switching layers with regard to their ohmic resistance, without having to take into account an outer, non-conductive EPDM covering.
• the profile and the switching layers can consist of a pure plastic and the conductors can consist of a metal.
• the plastics listed above can be used for this. In this case, only the electrical conductivity of a plastic material has to be set differently, but this has no influence on a common disposal.
• the metal can be disposed of in a manner known per se, for example using a magnetic separator.
• the material e.g. a TPE
• the material e.g. a TPE
• the Shore hardness 50 to 70, in particular 60
• the TPE material if it is used as the material for the outer jacket of the profile, should be considered
• Non-conductors have an electrical resistance of more than 30 M ⁇ .
• a sealing lip attached to the profile is provided. It can this sealing lip from a separate material or from the Material of the jacket of the contact strip.
• a material has proven to be expedient here that is as smooth as possible and permanently elastic in order, for example, to be able to retain its elasticity in the case of water penetrating into pores of the material and in the event of frost.
• Such a sealing lip can be molded on, but it is preferred that the complete safety contact strip with attached sealing lip is manufactured as a coextrudate, with which different materials are processed together. This is the non-conductive profile jacket, the
• Resistance should be greater than 30 M ⁇ , the conductive switching layers, which should be made as highly conductive as possible, with an embedded metallic conductor, which can also be fabric-like, in particular for particularly good adhesion in the material, and the material for the sealing lip made of such a material that freezing prevents, for example, or has good sliding properties, depending on the requirements.
• a safety contact strip with an attached sealing lip can alternatively also be made of a pure plastic.
• the jacket of the profile can have a separate surface coating, at least in sections, and / or the jacket of the profile can consist, at least in sections, of a surface-smooth, elastic material.
• production as a co-extrudate is also planned in order to ensure that the materials also adhere well to one another.
• These measures can be used to adjust the surface property of the jacket of the profile to the necessary requirements, for example with regard to good sliding properties, surface smoothness of the profile and the like.
• the safety contact strip is symmetrical in cross section to a longitudinal center plane. This longitudinal center plane will then also form the plane of symmetry for the switching load, since the application regularly requires safe switching with a switching load at an opening angle of approximately 90 °.
• profile shapes can be designed that meet special requirements for given loads.
• the safety contact strip according to the invention can have a substantially rectangular cross section with rounded longitudinal edges on the side on which the
• the sealing lip is preferably set tangentially in an embodiment of the invention. This prevents protruding edges and the introduction of force from the sealing lip into the profile is usually inexpensive. This prevents the sealing lip from tearing or even tearing off easily, for example when it freezes or gets caught. It has also proven to be expedient, in particular in the case of sealing lips, the attachment of which to less curved sections of the
• Sheath profile takes place to provide the free end of the sealing lips with a bend in a cross section. This measure makes it possible to form a sealing lip, the free end of which, for example, covers the apex of the parabolic profile. Alternatively, the
• Sealing lip also get an outward bend, possibly protruding beyond the profile.
• two V-shaped webs hold the switching chamber, in particular the bisector of the V-shaped opening of the two webs lying in the plane of symmetry of the profile , Any switching load that strikes the profile within the V-shaped opening will certainly result in the safety contact strip according to the invention being triggered, as well as switching loads that occur significantly outside of this V-shaped opening.
• the safety of the triggering of the safety contact strip according to the invention with direction-independent switching loads is further increased by the measure that at least one web on the fastening side of the profile
• Switching chamber spaced from a bottom of the profile carries.
• the switching chamber can freely misjudge within the profile and adjust such that a relatively low elastic
• two, possibly also more, webs can also be provided for this purpose, in which case a symmetrical arrangement of the same is also considered.
• These webs also preferably have a material thickness of approximately that of the other webs.
• the jacket is provided on the inside in particular with longitudinal grooves. These grooves deliberately weaken the material thickness of the jacket wall, so that in such areas there can also be a buckling, as it were folding in of the profile, in any case to a lightened elasticity
• the switching chamber has an elliptical cross section, in particular the longitudinal axis of the cross section of the switching chamber being perpendicular to the plane of symmetry of the profile.
• the conductive switching layers are then arranged above and below this longitudinal axis.
• a switching chamber of elliptical cross-section is provided, then a concave-convex cross-section is then expediently to be provided for the conductive layers.
• Critical areas of safety contact strips in general are the points at which the conductive layers are provided with connecting cables. Separate contacting is preferred, since safety contact strips can then be made available as endless profiles.
• the embedded metallic conductors can also take over the function of connecting cables, for example, if these conductors are led out accordingly during manufacture.
• a disadvantage here can be seen that then only made-up
• this area of the switching chamber is made force-free by cuts in the area of this electrical contacting of the conductive layers.
• the profile will be deformed in such a way that a kink effect occurs in the area of the cut ends, as a result of which the switch contact then also comes about by touching the conductive switch layers.
• it can also be considered to make the switching chamber force-free by making cuts in the webs.
• the invention further provides a cap according to the invention for a front-side closing of the safety contact strip, in which the aim is that, adapted to the profile of the safety contact strip, an annular circumferential shoulder is provided in one plane for contacting the front side of the jacket and the bottom the same.
• an annular circumferential shoulder is particularly suitable for tight adhesive bonding and / or welding to the end face of the jacket or the bottom. There is less thought of gluing the end faces of the webs in order to continue to enable perfect switching.
• the cap material has a hardness of less than 65 Shore, in particular less than 60 Shore, and is therefore significantly softer than the other material selected. This contributes if the material thickness of the cap is kept comparatively low.
• the shoulder lips protrude for edging the outer jacket. It is particularly contemplated that an outer lip covers the abutting edge against the outer jacket of the profile and, if necessary, again with this is glued or welded. A very secure seal of the front ends of the safety contact strip according to the invention is thus provided. Lips protruding within the profile for an inner bordering of the outer jacket have to take account of the webs of the profile when they are formed and are to be interrupted if necessary and are preferably designed as simple projecting rod-like sections.
• the cap according to the invention further provides that the collar undergoes a pretensioning due to the bordering of the jacket, resulting in a particularly good system of the outer lip the cap and the surface of the jacket comes.
• At least one sealing lip is provided on the upper side thereof.
• This sealing lip is regularly designed to be somewhat smaller than the sealing lip of one
• the cap-side sealing lip is arranged within a radius of curvature of the sealing lip of the safety contact strip.
• Sealing lip of the safety contact strip is present when the sealing lip is pressed down
• Safety contact strip this movement can also be safely transferred to the cap.
• Fig.l a cross section through a
• Safety contact strip according to the invention 2 is a side view of the profile in the region of an end face according to arrow II in Fig.l,
• Fig. 7 in an isometric view of a safety contact strip according to the front
• Fig. 9 shows a cross section through the cap along the line
• the safety contact strip 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has two conductive switching layers 2, 3 in a closed switching chamber 4, which is arranged inside an outer jacket 5 of a profile 6.
• the profile 6, the switching chamber 4 and the switching layers 2, 3 each with at least one embedded conductor 7, 8 are formed in one piece.
• a fitting 18 is further arranged for being clamped or pushed into a C-holding profile, for example an aluminum profile.
• the profile 6 is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, a TPE material is that the conductive layers 2, 3 consist of an EPDM material, an ethylene / propylene-diene terpolymer, and that the at least one conductor 7, 8 embedded in the conductive layers 2, 3 is a metallic one, for example a copper wire, a copper braid, a metal mesh or the like, which materials and conductors preferably co-extrude the safety contact strip 1 according to the invention in one piece.
• the hardness or the stiffness of the TPE profile 6 it is possible to set the hardness or the stiffness of the TPE profile 6 to a preferred level, in particular to a Shore hardness of 50 to 70, preferably 60. By setting the Shore hardness, a balanced relationship between stiffness and elastic behavior of the profile 6 reached.
• the switching chamber 4 is kept free in a cross section according to FIG. 1 from webs 9, 10, 11 designed like spokes.
• the webs 9, 10, 11 have approximately the same material thicknesses, which essentially move in the region of the material thickness of the profile 6.
• Profile 6 the webs 9, 10, 11 within the profile 6 and the switching chamber 4 a plurality of separate chambers 50, 51, 52 within the profile 6.
• the outer jacket 5 of the profile 6 has an essentially parabolic cross section, the apex 12 of which is arranged opposite the fastening side according to arrow 13.
• the vertex 12 lies within one Longitudinal center plane 14, which is also the plane of symmetry for the safety contact strip 1 according to the invention.
• the jacket wall is strengthened from there approximately to the material thickness of the webs 9, 10 up to the apex 12, so that a wide area around the apex 12 is comparatively stable with respect to the remaining wall of the Sheath 5 is formed.
• Fig. 1 underside, i.e. on the fastening side 13 of the switching chamber 4, this is further held at a distance from the bottom 17 of the profile 6 by a single, centrally arranged web 11.
• the switching chamber 4 can misjudge and thus respond reliably even when there are switching loads outside the plane of symmetry 14.
• Safety contact strip 1 takes place in an area between the attachment points 15, 16 of the webs 9, 10 on the jacket wall 5 and the floor 17. In particular with lateral switching loads, the profile buckles or folds up. Here, the switching chamber 4 is misunderstood and it comes through Power transmission through the webs 9, 10, 11 for a safe response behavior of the safety contact strip.
• the switching chamber 4 which has closed the switching layers 2, 3, isolating them from the interior of the profile 6, has an essentially elliptical cross section.
• the wall thickness of this switching chamber 4 is the smallest in comparison to the other wall thicknesses.
• the switching chamber 4 will thus deform comparatively slightly elastically, the deformation in particular also being largely adjustable by the hardness of the material for the wall of the switching chamber 4.
• the longitudinal axis of the switching chamber 4 is perpendicular to the central longitudinal plane 14. Good symmetry properties, also with regard to the switching behavior with switching loads perpendicular to the symmetry plane, are hereby guaranteed.
• the switching surfaces 22, 23 of the switching layers 2, 3 are concave and the overall cross-section of the conductive layers 2, 3 is concave-convex, so that a good adaptation or embedding in the elliptical inner cross-section of the switching chamber 4 is ensured.
• safety contact strip 1 shows an end side view of the safety contact strip 1 according to the invention according to arrow II in Fig.l.
• safety contact strips are preferably prefabricated, as it were, by the meter, which are then to be assembled with electrical connections 25 for the conductive layers.
• electrical connections 25 for the conductive layers.
• These are, for example, crimp connectors 25, which penetrate the wall of the switching chamber 4 with contact pins and which engage in an electrically connecting manner in the conductive layers 2, 3.
• the electrical connection to an evaluation unit or the like can then be closed via connecting wires 26, 27.
• the full length of the profile 6 can still be used, ie a length which essentially corresponds to the length of the switching chamber 4 including the contact 25, if the area of the electrical contact 25 is cut free by cuts 28,29.
• the height and depth of the cuts 28, 29 are to be dimensioned in such a way that in the event of an end-side deformation of the profile 6 in the area of the depth of cut, indicated by the dash-dotted line 30, a kinking movement takes place, so that the switching chamber 4 with conductive, functional there Layers 2,3, as it were offset along the longitudinal axis of the profile, performs the switching process.
• the geometry of the cuts 28, 29 is of minor importance and, for example, the deformation path for the profile 6 can be increased by a wedge-shaped cut, indicated by the dash-dotted line 31. In such a case, the profile 6 completely covers the contact 25.
• the switching chamber 4 can be exempted.
• FIG. 3 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a profile 35, which, in particular also in the form of a coextrudate, largely corresponds to the profile of the first exemplary embodiment.
• a sealing lip 36 is attached to the profile 35.
• the sealing lip 36 consists of the same material as the profile 35, in particular a TPE material.
• the sealing lip 36 is attached tangentially to the profile 35 and thus very securely connected to it.
• the sealing lip 36 further has a bend 37, from which bend 37 and the free end 38 of the sealing lip 36 the apex 39 of the profile 35 is covered. If a TPE material is used for a profile with a sealing lip, this is sensitive to freezing moisture due to its comparatively open-cell surface structure.
• the sealing lip 41 according to FIG. 4 can therefore be provided to manufacture the sealing lip 41 according to FIG. 4 from a surface-smooth, permanently elastic material in particular.
• the sealing lip 41 made of a different material is attached to the profile 40, but the safety contact strip is preferably manufactured in one piece as a coextrudate.
• the safety contact strip according to the invention is coextruded in one piece from four different materials, namely the material of the profile jacket 40, the sealing lip 41, the conductive switching layers and the metallic conductor embedded therein.
• a section around the apex 43 can in particular consist of a surface-smooth, elastic material.
• the safety contact strip there is preferably produced as a coextrudate.
• the profile 45 can also be made for the profile 45 to have, in particular, a surface-smooth, elastic material, and in particular of a pure plastic, only in the manner of a surface coating.
• FIG. 6 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a safety contact strip 54 according to the invention without a sealing lip.
• the outer jacket 55 of the profile 56 in turn has an essentially parabolic cross section, symmetrical to a central plane 77.
• the profile 56 is slightly towards the central plane 77 withdrawn.
• the webs 59, 60 are connected at the other end to a switching chamber 61, which is again provided on the inside with two conductive layers 62, 63.
• a metallic conductor 64, 65 is inserted into these conductive layers 62, 63, each asymmetrically to the central plane 57.
• the conductors 64, 65 can be arranged stretched in the conductive layers 62, 63 or meandering for better contact.
• the switching chamber 61 is further held by two webs 67, 68 above a floor 66.
• the outer casing 55, the webs 59, 60, 67, 68 form chambers 69 to 72 which are separate from one another in connection with the switching chamber 61.
• the fitting 73 is designed to enclose a cavity 74. Its vertically rising side walls 75, 76 align with the outer walls of the webs 67, 68.
• the floor 66 slopes away from the central longitudinal plane 57 at least in sections, i.e. towards the C-holding profile, designed so that when the fitting 73 is jammed into the C-holding profile, a contact of the safety contact strip 54 is achieved under a pretension.
• a cap 80 for closing a safety contact strip according to the invention at the end is further explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.
• the cap 80 has a ring-shaped circumferential shoulder 81 which is arranged in a plane which projects on the inside of the cap base 89.
• a section 82 connects to the bottom of a safety contact strip and a section 83 connects to the end face of the outer jacket of a safety contact strip.
• the shoulder 81 projects from an outer lip 84 for covering the abutting edge between an outer jacket and the shoulder 81. This lip 84 is only provided so as to cover the outer jacket that this cap 80 can be easily placed on a C-holding profile.
• cap 80 in a conventional manner with a grommet 90 for the passage of connecting cables. Protected in this way within the C-holding profile to an evaluation circuit or the like.
• the outer casing of a safety contact strip is edged in such a way that this edging results in a pretension in the casing and a secure contact of the lip 84 and thus a sealing covering of the joint is ensured.
• the cap 80 On the upper side, the cap 80 also has two sealing lips 86, 87. These sealing lips 86, 87 are significantly shortened compared to the sealing lips 88 on a safety contact strip, see also FIG. 8. However, since the sealing lips 87, 88 in the exemplary embodiment shown also in their
• the measure also contributes to providing a cap material with a hardness of less than 65 shore, in particular of less than about 60 shore.
• the wall thicknesses of this cap 80 are also kept comparatively small.

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• Push-Button Switches (AREA)
• Contacts (AREA)
• Making Paper Articles (AREA)
• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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ID=8082947

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Families Citing this family (29)

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• 1999
  • 1999-12-16 DE DE29921958U patent/DE29921958U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2000
  • 2000-11-24 US US10/149,836 patent/US6740826B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-11-24 AU AU25039/01A patent/AU2503901A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-11-24 DE DE50015784T patent/DE50015784D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-11-24 ES ES00988649T patent/ES2336073T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-11-24 EP EP00988649A patent/EP1409825B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-11-24 CA CA002405851A patent/CA2405851C/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-11-24 WO PCT/DE2000/004182 patent/WO2001044611A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2000-11-24 MX MXPA02005916A patent/MXPA02005916A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-11-24 CZ CZ20022387A patent/CZ300520B6/cs not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-11-24 AT AT00988649T patent/ATE447655T1/de active
  • 2000-11-24 PL PL355870A patent/PL204393B1/pl unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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