GB2472889A

GB2472889A - Clamp/clip for cable trays

Info

Publication number: GB2472889A
Application number: GB1011230A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Juan Vicente Miguel Guillem; Raul Perez Lopez
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Espana SA
Current assignee: Schneider Electric Espana SA
Priority date: 2009-07-02
Filing date: 2010-07-02
Publication date: 2011-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 2030-07-02
Also published as: NL2005019A; FR2947676B1; GB2472889B; ES2335183A1; FR2947676A1; NL2005019C2; ES2335183B2; GB201011230D0

Abstract

A clamp/clip for connection of cable trays of the type composed of longitudinal bars and transverse bars comprises a body 1 having two longer sides, two shorter sides and a main axis parallel to the longer sides, an upper wing 5 and a lower wing 6 which extend in a perpendicular direction to said body 1. Rotation means consisting of hook-shaped cut-outs 7 are located at one of the ends of the body 1 extending in the direction of the main axis and of the wings 5,6. A fixing element on the body 1 is at the opposite end to the rotation means, which are arranged to be anchored on a transverse bar of a tray and to be rotated with respect to said transverse bar, whilst the fixing element on the body 1 is arranged to co-operate in retention of another transverse bar of an adjacent tray.

Description

FAST-CONNECTION CLAMP FOR CABLE TRAYS

Field of the invention

The field of application of the present invention is to be found in the sector of industry that is concerned with the manufacture of elements and accessories for use in electrical installations. The invention relates more specifically to an arrangement for the connection of adjacently arranged lattice-form cable trays of the type used in installations for supporting runs of cabling and the like.

Prior art

In the field of electrical installations, lattice-type cable trays are often used for supporting runs of cabling, ducting and the like. Said trays are composed of longitudinal bars and transverse bars. These trays have to be connected one following on from another so that there is formed a single support for the entire route of the cabling run, which can be matched to different lengths and configurations of said route. Elements are therefore required in order to connect these trays securely to one another in accordance with the requirements of each case. Various connecting elements, or clamps, are currently known for connecting trays of this * ** type.

Document ES1067626 describes a clamp formed on the basis of a body * which has a rear wall from which there extend, perpendicularly, an upper wing, which has two upper end tongues, at least one upper central tongue and at least four upper cavities, and a lower wing, which has two lower end tongues, at least one lower central tongue and at least four lower cavities. Said upper and lower cavities are so arranged as to fit between the transverse bars. At least one end tongue has at least one flexible tab located in association with a window and arranged so as to fix the clamp to longitudinal bars of the trays. In said clamp it is a mandatory requirement that the upper and lower wings, from which the end tongues incorporating the flexible tabs extend, come into action when closely associated with respect to first and second longitudinal bars, so that they are fixed directly and exclusively by clipping into place, rotation of the clamp not being possible when it is connected to a transverse bar.

Document ES2244750 makes known a coupling clamp which comprises first fixing means arranged to fix said clamp on a first transverse bar and second fixing means at the same end of the clamp, which are arranged to fix said clamp on a * -2-second transverse bar belonging to an adjacent tray. It is necessary to provide gaps in the shorter side of the clamp so as to allow the bending-over of tongues so that they become perpendicular to said shorter side and also the arrangement of a fixing tongue to act with respect to a bar, in this case a longitudinal bar, which also has to be bent over. Said clamp can be used only on the sides of cable trays and not on the base of said trays.

The clamp described in document ES2244750 does allow its rotation with respect to a transverse bar but in terms of its configuration it is relatively complex and, therefore, very difficult and costly to manufacture and also very difficult to use.

There is therefore a continuing need in the art for a fast-connection clamp for cable trays which allows rotation of said clamp with respect to a transverse bar, which can be used both on the walls and on the base of the trays and which is simple to manufacture and to use.

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to a fast-connection clamp, for cable trays of the type composed of longitudinal bars and transverse bars. The clamp comprises a body having two longer sides, two shorter sides and a main axis parallel to the two * ** longer sides, an upper wing and a lower wing which extend in a perpendicular direction to said body, means for rotation consisting of at least one hook-shaped cut-out located at one of the ends of the body, extending in the direction of the main :.. axis and in the direction of the upper and lower wings, and a fixing element on the * body at the opposite end to the rotation means. The hook-shaped cut-outs allow the clamp first to be anchored on a transverse bar of a tray and the body to be rotated with respect to said transverse bar, whilst the fixing element on the body is arranged to co-operate in retention of another transverse bar of another, adjacent tray, the trays being connected in this manner by means of the fast-connection clamp.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will be better understood by referring to the following drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, provided by way of example, and which must not be interpreted as limiting the invention in any way.

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a fast-connection clamp according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. * -3-

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the fast-connection clamp of Figure 1 anchored by means of the hook-shaped cut-outs to a transverse bar of a cable tray.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the clamp shown in Figure 1 in use, connecting two adjacent cable trays.

Figure 4 is a view of one end of the clamp shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view from the rear of the fast-connection clamp of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a front perspective view of a fast-connection clamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

According to the present description, it will be understood that the relative terms "upper" and "lower" are used solely in order to distinguish two similar elements. It will be understood as self-evident that in one position one element will be higher than the other but that this relative relationship will change if the S...

connection clamp is inverted. For example, the term "upper wing" will be used to refer always to one and the same wing, as opposed to the "lower wing", irrespective * * of the position in space that the connection clamp occupies.

The fast-connection clamp of the present invention comprises a body 1, **.

* preferably made of metal, more preferably of rolled steel, which, depending on the mounting arrangement adopted, is located parallel to the side walls 2 and/or the bases 3 of the adjacent cable trays 4, 4' which are to be connected as will be better described later in the present document with reference to Figure 3. Starting with said body 1, as can be seen in Figures 1 and 6, it has two longer sides, two shorter sides and a main axis (X) parallel to the longer sides, an upper wing 5 and a lower wing 6 which extend in a perpendicular direction to said body 1 and which incorporate rotation means consisting of hook-shaped cut-outs 7, which are preferably planar located at one of the ends of the body 1, extending in the direction of the main axis (X) and of the upper 5 and lower 6 wings, and which project at least in part with respect to said body 1.

Further to these described characteristics, in a first preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1 to 5, the hook-shaped cut-outs 7 are located on an extension 24 which extends from the body 1 in the direction of the main * -4-axis (X). The dimension of the extension 24 in the direction perpendicular to the main axis (X) is less than the dimension of the body 1 in that same direction.

In a second preferred embodiment of the present invention and further to the common characteristics described initially and more specifically as shown in Figure 6, the hook-shaped cut-outs are each located on a respective one of the ends of each of the upper 5 and lower 6 wings, which project at least in part with respect to said body 1, making available a cut-out 12 in the span of the body 1 on which the hook-shaped cut-outs 7 are located. Said cut-out 12 allows rotation of the clamp with respect to a transverse bar 8 when the hook-shaped cut-outs 7 are anchored to said transverse bar 8 of a side wall 2 or base of the trays 4, 4'. It is the case that, during installation of the connection clamp on the lateral wall 2 of a tray 4 and its removal therefrom, the cut-out 12 allows clearance of a longitudinal bar 13 which, in that situation, is located between the upper 5 and lower 6 wings, close to the upper wing 5.

It should be borne in mind that, in the present document, even though the numerical references of the Figures concentrate on the first of the afore-mentioned preferred embodiments, the characteristics which will be described later are applicable to each of those embodiments.

* ** For this purpose, said hook-shaped cut-outs 7 are arranged first to anchor the clamp on a transverse bar 8 of a tray 4 (as can be seen in Figure 2) and to allow S..

* rotation of the clamp with respect to said transverse bar 8. Preferably, but not necessarily, the transverse bar 8 to which the hook-shaped cut-outs 7 are anchored is the second transverse bar 8d or 8c of the trays 4, 4'.

At the opposite end to the hook-shaped cut-outs 7, the body I has a fixing element which, as shown in Figures 1 and 6, is an elbow 9 which extends substantially perpendicular to the body 1 in the same direction as the upper 5 and lower 6 wings described hereinbefore. At its end, said elbow 9 terminates in a nose 10 inclined towards the body 1 so that a transverse bar 8 of a tray 4' adjacent to the tray 4 is held in a resilient fit, or by clipping in place, by means of the nose 10 on the elbow 9. Preferably, but not necessarily, the transverse bar 8 held in a resilient fit by means of the nose 10 on the elbow 9 is the first transverse bar 8b or 8a of the trays 4, 4'.

In Figures 1 and 6 it can also be seen that the body 1 of the fast-connection clamp according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention has a reinforcement tab 11, arranged to retain a transverse bar 8, which acts in a direction * -5-opposite to the resilient fit connection made by the nose 10 on the elbow 9, for the purpose of counteracting forces and minimising transverse movements of the trays 4, 4', keeping them adjacently arranged.

Still referring to Figures 1 and 6, the nose 10 of the fast-connection clamp according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention has a recess 14 suitable for introduction of a tool and for facilitating the removal of the clamp. Also, the elbow 9 described hereinbefore does not extend over the totality of the side end of the body I but rather has two, upper and lower, cut-outs 15 to allow the introduction and guidance of a longitudinal bar 13 when the fast-connection clamp is being used on the side wall 2 of trays 4, 4'. In order to faci'itate the introduction of said longitudinal bar 13 into the upper and lower cut-outs 15, the elbow 9 has curved corners 16 at its upper and lower ends, as is better shown in Figure 4.

According to these preferred embodiments of the present invention, the fast-connection clamp additionally has cavities 17, 17' along the upper 5 and lower 6 wings defining end tongues 18, 19 and a central tongue 20. Said cavities 17, 17' are arranged to accommodate transverse bars 8 of the cable trays 4, 4'. Preferably, but not necessarily, the transverse bars 8 accommodated in said cavities 17, 17' are first transverse bars 8a, Sb. In this manner, said central tongue 20 is accommodated and * ** inserted in the gap that exists between said first transverse bars 8a, 8b of each tray 4, 4', as will be seen later in Figure 3. For their part, the cavities 17, 17' can be * * produced in two forms depending on the type of bars forming the tray for which the clamp is intended: they may be relatively short and rounded at their ends when they are coupled to trays having zinc-electroplated bars or relatively pronounced and straight when they are used on hot-dip-galvanised bars.

When the fast-connection clamp according to the present invention is arranged on the side wall 2 of the adjacent cable trays 4, 4', as has been explained hereinbefore and as will be seen later in relation to Figures 2 to 4, a longitudinal bar 13 is located between the upper 5 and lower 6 wings, close to the upper wing 5.

For that purpose, as can be seen in Figures 1 and 6, according to the preferred embodiments, the upper 5 and lower 6 wings each have a flexible tab 21 in association with a window 22 to facilitate retention of said longitudinal bar 13 in a resilient fit. Said flexible tab 21 extends in an arc from its distal end, in a descending direction in the case of the tab associated with the upper wing 5 and in an ascending direction in the case of the tab associated with the lower wing 6. Additionally, when two clamps on the opposite side walls 2 of the adjacent trays 4, 4' are facing one * -6-another, and with the aim of avoiding transverse movements in which the first transverse bar 8a or 8b of one of the trays 4, 4' comes out of its lodged-in position, said flexible tabs 21 counteract the force applied.

In Figure 2 there can be seen a connection clamp as has been defined hereinbefore according to the first of the preferred embodiments of the present invention in relation to Figure 1, having the hook-shaped cut-outs 7 anchored to a second transverse bar 8d of a cable tray 4. In this Figure 2, it will be observed that the fast-connection clamp in this position can rotate freely with respect to said transverse bar 8d.

Figure 3 shows the fast-connection clamp of Figure 2 coupled to the transverse bars 8a, 8b and 8d of two cable trays 4 and 4'. In this Figure 3 there can be seen more clearly a longitudinal bar 13 which is arranged between the upper 5 and lower 6 wings, close to the upper wing 5, and which passes through the upper cut-out 15 of the elbow 9, as can be better seen in Figure 4. Figure 4 is a view of one end of the fast-connection clamp according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, in the position shown in Figure 3 above. In this Figure 4, the S. curved corners 16 of the elbow 9 will be better appreciated.

As can be seen in Figure 5, the fast-connection clamp further has, on that * ** face of the body 1 which is opposite the upper 5 and lower 6 wings, reinforcement *: ribs 23, which provide the clamp with rigidity and strength. **

* As can be readily observed, the fast-connection clamp according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying Figures is symmetrical about the main axis (X) which runs longitudinally from the end where the elbow 9 is located to the opposite end where the hook-shaped cut-outs 7 are located, so that the characteristics which the upper wing 5 has are the same as the characteristics with which the lower wing 6 is provided. Consequently, installation of the clamp on the trays 4, 4' is possible in different positions, both on the right-hand side and on the left-hand side. A symmetrical fast-connection clamp of this kind has the advantage that its use is made simpler, just as its manufacture is simpler and more economical.

The fast-connection clamp as has been described in the present document has the characteristic of not requiring the use of tools for its installation on the trays, the flexible tabs referred to hereinbefore being advantageously designed to prevent the clamp from coming out of place, maintaining it securely in its position except when said flexible tabs are pressed for the purpose of being freed. * -7-

Although there has been described a fast-connection clamp arranged for use on the side wall 2 of cable trays 4, 4, it is evident that, when the clamp is arranged on the bases 3 of the trays 4, 4', it is possible to envisage that the elements arranged on the upper 5 and lower 6 wings for clipping into place do not come into action, but rather only those elements which act on the transverse bars 8 such as the hook-shaped cut-outs 7, the fixing element consisting of the element 9 having an inclined nose 10 and the reinforcement tab 11.

A variety of modifications can be made to the fast-connection clamp according to the preferred embodiments which have just been described without these modifications going beyond the scope of the present invention as a result. For example, it is possible to design fast-connection clamps which lack some of the reinforcing elements (such as the reinforcement tab 11, the ribs 23 etc.) and which nevertheless remain within the scope of the present invention as defined in the independent claim later.

Likewise, the symmetry of the fast-connection clamp described hereinbefore in relation to the preferred embodiments, although facilitating the manufacture and use thereof, is not mandatory. Accordingly, there can be provided fast-connection clamps according to the invention whose upper and lower wings are not the same * * (for example, one of the wings lacking the flexible tab 21, the window 22 or the cut-out 15).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the fast-connection clamp is arranged to be positioned on the side wall 2 of cable trays 4, 4' in such a way that * 4 * the longitudinal bar 13 remains above the upper wing 5, rather than between the upper 5 and lower 6 wings. In this embodiment, neither the second cut-out 12 described hereinbefore in the present document nor the cut-outs 15 of the elbow 9 are necessary.

Finally, even though it is mentioned that the fast-connection clamp of the present invention is preferably made of a metallic material, and more preferably of rolled steel, it is evident that it can be made of any other material known to persons skilled in the art which meets the rigidity requirements necessary for maintaining two cable trays 4, 4' connected to one another. * 8

Claims

CLAIMSFast-connection clamp, for cable trays (4, 4') of the type composed of longitudinal bars (13) and transverse bars (8), the clamp comprising -a body (1) having two longer sides, two shorter sides and a main axis (X) parallel to the longer sides; -an upper wing (5) and a lower wing (6) which extend in a perpendicular direction to said body (1); -means for rotation of the clamp; -a fixing element on the body (1) at the opposite end to the rotation means; characterised in that the rotation means consist of hook-shaped cut-outs (7) which are located at one of the ends of the body, extending in the direction of the main axis (X) and of the upper (5) and lower (6) wings, and arranged to be anchored on a tranêverse bar (8) of a tray (4) and to be rotated with respect to said transverse bar (8), whilst the fixing element on the body (I) is arranged to co-operate in retention of another transverse bar (8) of an adjacent tray (4'); the trays (4) and (4') being connected in this manner by means of the fast-connection clamp.
2. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to claim 1, characterised in that the hook-shaped cut-outs (7) are planar.
3. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the hook-shaped cut-outs (7) project at least in part with respect to said body (1).
4. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to claim 3, characterised in that the hook-shaped cut-outs (7) are located on an extension (24) which extends from the body (1) in the direction of the main axis (X).
5. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to claim 4, characterised in that the dimension of the extension (24) in the direction perpendicular to the main axis (X) is less than the dimension of the body (1) in that same direction.
6. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to claim 3, characterised in that the hook-shaped cut-outs (7) are each located on a respective one of the ends of each of the upper (5) and lower (6) wings.
7. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to claim 6, characterised in that the hook-shaped cut-outs (7) make available a cut-out (12) in the span of the body (1), which allows rotation of the clamp when the hook-shaped cut-outs (7) are anchored to a transverse bar (8) of a side wall (2) or base (3) of the trays (4, 4') and clearance of a longitudinal bar (13).
8. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the fixing element is an elbow (9) which extends substantially perpendicular to the body (1) in the same direction as the upper (5) and lower (6) wings, the elbow (9) terminating in a nose (10) inclined towards the body (1), so that a transverse bar (8) of a tray (4') is held in a resilient fit by means of the nose (10) on the elbow (9). *.S. * *

*:**
9. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to claim 8, characterised in that the body (1) has a reinforcement tab (11), arranged to retain a transverse * bar (8), which acts in a direction opposite to the resilient fit connection made by the nose (10) on the elbow (9), for the purpose of counteracting forces and ** ** minimising transverse movements of the trays (4, 4'). *r * * *
10. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to either claim 8 or claim 9, characterised in that the elbow (9) has at least one upper or lower cut-out (15) to allow the introduction of a longitudinal bar (13).
11. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to claim 10, characterised in that the elbow (9) has curved corners (16) at at least one of its upper and lower ends for facilitating the introduction of said longitudinal bar (13).
12. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterised in that the nose (10) has a recess (14) suitable for introduction of a tool and for facilitating the removal of the clamp. S 10
13. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it additionally has cavities (17, 17') along the upper (5) and lower (6) wings defining end tongues (16, 19) and a central tongue (20), said cavities (17, 17') being arranged to accommodate transverse bars (8).
14. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the upper wing (5) is arranged to fit over the longitudinal bar (13) and at least the upper wing (5) has a flexible tab (21) to facilitate retention of said longitudinal bar (13) in a resilient fit.
15. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the body (1) has reinforcement ribs (23) on the opposite face to that on which the upper (5) and lower (6) wings are arranged.
16. Fast-connection clamp for cable trays, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the clamp is symmetrical about the main axis (X).