NL2004170C2

NL2004170C2 - Joining device for grid trays and section of grid trays joined by means of said device.

Info

Publication number: NL2004170C2
Application number: NL2004170A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Juan Vicente Miquel Guillem
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Espana Sa
Priority date: 2009-01-30
Filing date: 2010-01-29
Publication date: 2013-08-28
Also published as: ES2322787A1; ES2322787B1; GB2467426B; NL2004170A; FR2941821A1; GB2467426A; GB201001304D0; FR2941821B1

Abstract

A joining device 10 for grid trays in the form of a clip, comprising a main body with a substantially square or rectangular base 16, two curved wings 18 facing one another emerging from the main body, each of them comprising a joining bend 20 with the main body and a free section 22, and tabs 24 elongated in opposite directions emerging from the ends of the main body. Said tabs have a normal position, in which they prevent a wire 14 of the tray located inside the section of the respective curved wing from escaping (see fig 2b), and a forced position allowing the introduction of a wire inside the section of the curved wings. The wings may be provided with cut-outs to assist assembly and allow the trays to be angularly offset (fig 3) or may have the wings divided into two sections to house a longitudinal wire 12 to prevent lateral movement of the device. The tabs 24 may be positioned by a suitable tool so as to be supported on the end of the free section 22 of the wings preventing displacement of the wire out of the wing.

Description

JOINING DEVICE FOR GRID TRAYS AND SECTION OF GRID TRAYS JOINED

BY MEANS OF SAID DEVICE

Field of the invention 5 The present invention relates to the field of joining devices for grid trays.

The invention more specifically relates to a joining device for adjacently arranged grid cable trays, of the type used in installations for supporting cable laying and the like, as well as to sections of grid trays joined to one another by means of said device, to form straight sections or curved sections, both concave and convex.

10 Background of the Invention

In the field of electrical installations grid type cable trays are often used to support cable laying, pipe laying and the like. These trays must be joined one after the other such that a single support is formed for the entire path of the cable laying and which can be adapted for the different lengths and shapes of said path. 15 Therefore, these trays require elements to securely join them to one another depending on the needs of each case.

Several joining devices for grid trays are known in the art. For example, document WO0041586 describes a system for joining cable support trays consisting of a clip requiring first and second pairs of tabs opposite the first pairs of 20 tabs, said pairs being separated by opposite notches. In this case it is necessary to use a tool to crimp the first and second pairs of tabs to act on a pair of transverse wires, whereas the notches act on a longitudinal wire.

Document EP0617493 describes a joining clip having a central wall from which there emerge on both sides two straight walls arranged laterally to the 25 longitudinal wires. Said clip has in its central wall an opening for the passage therethrough of a lock screw cooperating with a nut arranged in the opposite face said central wall.

Document ES2194825 describes a plate which can be fitted under pressure on a rectangular mesh wire trellis.

30 Document FR2858129 relates to a support of conduits in grids joined by a flange including two foldable legs connected to one another by a main body, the mentioned foldable legs are folded towards one another such that they encompass at least two weft wires of successive trays. Furthermore, once they are folded the legs are held by means of a screw and nut assembly to keep the trays joined.

35 As observed in the previously mentioned documents representative of the 2 prior art, the known devices are based on joints under pressure, by screwing, by modification of the joining device and the like, for joining the different trays to one another. Therefore, these devices are difficult to use and normally require the use of some type of tool for their correct fixing. This entails a relatively long application 5 time and a complex handling.

Therefore, it is still a need in the art for a joining device for grid trays which allows securely joining different adjacent trays to one another more simply and quickly; without needing to use any type of additional tool or a considerable effort for its correct placement by the user.

10 Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a joining device for grid trays, of the type of those comprising wires called chain wires arranged longitudinally and wires called weft wires arranged transversely with respect to the longitudinal chain wires. Said joining device comprises a main body with a 15 substantially square or rectangular base, two curved wings facing one another emerging from the main body, each of them comprising a joining bend with the main body and a free section, and tabs elongated in opposite directions emerging from the ends of the main body. Said tabs have a normal position, in which they prevent a wire located inside the section of the curved wings from coming out of it 20 naturally, and a forced position allowing the introduction of a wire inside the section of the curved wings. In the normal position, said tabs are provided with an inclination such that they are inside the section of the curved wings.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a section of at least two grid trays joined to one another by means of the previously described joining 25 device, said trays being able to be joined to form a straight section or a concave or convex curved section.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will be better understood with reference to the following drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention, provided by 30 way of example and which must not be interpreted as limiting the invention in any way.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the joining device of the present invention.

Figure 2a is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, in 35 used for joining two adjacent grid trays, arranged in the lower part of the side 3 wings of the grid trays.

Figure 2b depicts a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, in use for joining two adjacent grid trays, arranged in the middle part of the side wings of the grid trays.

5 Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the joining device of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the joining device according to the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments 10 In a first aspect, the invention relates to a joining device 10 for grid trays, as shown in Figure 1. Said joining device 10 is used to join grid trays to one another, of the type of those comprising longitudinal wires 12 and wires 14 which are transverse with respect to the longitudinal wires 12. The present joining device 10 comprises a main body 16 with a substantially square or rectangular base, two 15 substantially C-shaped curved wings 18 facing one another, emerging from the main body 16. Each curved wing 18 comprises a joining bend 20 with the main body 16 and a free section 22.

At the same time, from the ends of the main body 16, starting from said substantially square base and forming part of said main body 16, there emerge in 20 opposite directions elongated tabs 24 from each end of the main body 16. Said tabs 24 have, in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a substantially rectangular and straight shape, although other suitable shapes will be evident for persons skilled in the art (for example with a triangular shape, with rounded ends, curved towards the inside of the substantially square base, etc.). Said tabs 24 have two 25 positions, a normal position in which they are provided with an inclination such that they are inside the section of the curved wings 18, thus preventing a transverse wire 14 located inside the section of the curved wings 18 from coming out of it naturally, and a forced position allowing the introduction of a transverse wire 14 inside the section of the curved wings 18.

30 In another preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention, the tabs 24 can be taken to a third additional position by means of using a suitable tool. In said third position, the tabs 24 are supported on the end of the free section 22 of the curved wings 18, thus preventing the joining device 10 from being able to be removed or jump from its position in an obliged manner. This third position 35 therefore represents an increase in the safety of the joining device 10 of the 4 present invention.

The operation of the device of the present invention will be explained by referring to Figures 2a and 2b, showing the joining device 10 described in relation to Figure 1, in use for holding transverse wires 14 of adjacent grid trays. To allow 5 the introduction of the transverse wires 14 inside the section of the curved wings 18, the actual transverse wires 14 move the tabs 24 towards their forced position, thus allowing the introduction of the transverse wire 14. Said tabs 24, due to their shape and elastic material, once the transverse wire 14 is inside the section of the curved wings 18, return to their normal position, in which, as was mentioned 10 above, the tabs 24 are inside the section of the curved wings 18 preventing the transverse wire 14 introduced in the section from coming out of it again. Both tabs 24 act in the same way, but in the opposite part of the joining device 10.

The curved wings 18 do not need to be fitted under pressure around the transverse wires 14, since there may be a certain clearance between the curved 15 wings 18 and the transverse wires 14, depending on the size of the transverse wire 14 introduced in the section of the curved wings 18 and on the curvature of the bend 20 of the curved wings 18. The coupling of the joining device 10 on the transverse wires 14 is therefore not carried out under pressure, but rather due to the fact that the curved wings 18 prevent the movement of the transverse wire 14 20 in one direction, whereas the tabs 24 prevent it in the opposite direction, thus keeping the transverse wire 14 inside the section of the wings 18.

Said tabs 24 can also pass from the normal position to the forced position simply and easily by pressing them to remove a transverse wire 14 which is already introduced in the section of the curved wings 18.

25 Said joining device 10 may be arranged in the wings of adjacent grid trays both in their middle part and in their lower part. Given the clearance of the curved wings 18 on the transverse wires 14: - when the joining device 10 is arranged in the lower part, its movements in the vertical direction are prevented at the upper part by the longitudinal wires 12 of 30 the side wing of the tray and at the lower part by the curvature that the transverse wires 14 have in their lower part (said arrangement is show in Figure 2a); - when the joining device 10 is arranged in the middle part, according to this embodiment of the present invention, its movements in the vertical direction are prevented both at the upper part and at the lower part by the longitudinal wires 12 35 present in the side wings of the trays (said arrangement is shown in Figure 2b).

5

As was explained above, a use of the joining device 10 of the present invention is to hold or maintain transverse wires 14 of two adjacently arranged grid cable trays at a certain distance. In this way, after machining the trays, straight tray sections can be shaped to give concave or convex curved sections, a change 5 of direction of the longitudinal wires 12 of the tray thus being obtained. It likewise allows joining or interlocking adjacent sections of longitudinally arranged grid trays

The form of machining the grid trays to obtain the concave or convex curved sections is indicated by the manufacturer of the same grid cable tray.

10 The distance at which the transverse wires 14 of two adjacent grid trays will be located will be the distance between two planes tangential to the internal radii of the inner section of the curved wings 18 and perpendicular to the plane where the main body 16 is located.

Said joining device 10 can be coupled both in the inner part of one of the 15 ends of the grid trays and in the outer part thereof.

In the event of application in adjacent grid trays to form longitudinal sections, a joining device 10 will be arranged at one end of the trays and another one will be arranged at the opposite end to uniformly maintain its continuity.

Other embodiments of the joining device according to the present invention, 20 the operation and use of which, described in relation to Figures 2a and 2b, are similar to those of the joining device 10 of Figure 1, are described below.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the joining device 10’ of the present invention. In the description of this embodiment, the elements similar to those described above with respect to Figure 1 will be designated with similar 25 reference numbers. In this case, the joining device 10’ has two cuts 30a, 30b, the first cut 30a partially affecting one end of the bend 20a of one of the curved wings 18a, and the second cut 30b affecting the opposite end of the bend 20b of the opposite curved wing 18b. These cuts 30a, 30b, in the case in which the transverse wires 14 have a certain inclination, allow the satisfactory coupling of the 30 joining device 10’.

Furthermore, as can also be observed in Figure 3, the joining device 10’ also has cuts 32a, 32b, the first cut 32a affecting one part of the free section 22a of one of the curved wings 18a, and the second cut 32b affecting the opposite part of the free section 22b of the opposite curved wing 18b. These cuts 32a, 32b 35 facilitate the assembly of the transverse wires 14 in any case.

6

As is also observed in Figure 3, the cut 30a and the cut 32a are on opposite sides of the same curved wing 18a. Likewise, the cut 30b and the cut 32b are on opposite sides of the same curved wing 18b.

Although in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the joining device 10’ has 5 both cuts 30a, 30b and cuts 32a, 32b in the bend 20a, 20b and in the free section 22a, 22b, respectively, of the curved wings 18a, 18b; it will be evident for persons skilled in the art that other embodiments of the invention could have different combinations thereof, for example, they could have only the cuts 30a, 30b or the cuts 32a, 32b, or any other combination.

10 As shown in Figure 4, in another preferred embodiment of the joining device 10” of the present invention, the curved wings 18 can be divided into two sections by a groove 34. In this way, said groove 34 can house a side longitudinal wire 12 of the grid tray, such that the movements in a vertical direction of the joining device 10” are prevented by said side longitudinal wire 12 housed in the groove of 15 the joining device.

Claims

1. Verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") voor roostervormige goten omvattende longitudinale draden (12) en draden (14) die dwars staan op de longitudinale draden (12), waarbij het verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") omvat: 5. een hoofdlichaam (16) met een in hoofdzaak vierkante of rechthoekige basis; - twee hoofdzakelijk C-vormig gebogen zich tegenover elkaar bevindende vleugels (18a, 18b) die uit het hoofdlichaam (16) tevoorschijn komen, waarvan elk een verbindingsbocht (20a, 20b) met het hoofdlichaam (16) en een vrije sectie ( 22a, 22b) omvat, met het kenmerk dat het langwerpige lippen (24) 10 omvat die in tegengestelde richtingen tevoorschijn komen uit de uiteinden van het hoofdlichaam (16), waarbij de lippen (24) een normale stand hebben waarbij zij verhinderen dat een dwarse draad (14) die zich in de sectie van de gebogen vleugels (18a, 18b) bevindt daar gemakkelijk uitkomt, een geforceerde stand die het inbrengen van een dwarse draad (14) in de sectie van de gebogen 15 vleugels (18a, 18b) mogelijk maakt, zodanig dat in de normale positie de lippen (24) zodanig van een helling zijn voorzien dat deze zich binnen de sectie van de gebogen vleugels (18a, 18b) bevinden, en een derde, veiligheidsstand waarbij de lippen (24) aan het uiteinde van de vrije secties (22) van de gebogen vleugels (18) ondersteund worden.A connecting device (10, 10 ', 10 ") for grid-shaped troughs comprising longitudinal wires (12) and wires (14) that are transverse to the longitudinal wires (12), the connecting device (10, 10', 10") comprising : 5. a main body (16) with a substantially square or rectangular base; - two wings (18a, 18b) which are substantially C-shaped and opposite each other and emerge from the main body (16), each of which has a connecting bend (20a, 20b) with the main body (16) and a free section (22a, 22b ), characterized in that it comprises elongated tabs (24) emerging in opposite directions from the ends of the main body (16), the tabs (24) having a normal position preventing a transverse thread (14) ) which is located in the section of the curved wings (18a, 18b) comes out easily, a forced position which allows the insertion of a transverse wire (14) into the section of the curved wings (18a, 18b), such in the normal position the lips (24) are inclined such that they are located within the section of the curved wings (18a, 18b) and a third safety position with the lips (24) at the end of the free sections (22) of the curved wings (18) are supported.

2. Verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") voor roostervormige goten volgens conclusie 1, met het kenmerk dat de lippen (24) een hoofdzakelijk rechthoekige en rechte vorm hebben.Connection device (10, 10 ', 10 ") for grid-shaped troughs according to claim 1, characterized in that the lips (24) have a substantially rectangular and straight shape.

3. Verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") voor roostervormige goten volgens één van de voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat het voorts twee sneden 25 (30a, 30b) heeft, waarbij de eerste snede (30a) een uiteinde van de bocht (20a) van één van de gebogen vleugels (18a) beïnvloedt, en de tweede snede (30b) het tegenoverliggende uiteinde van de bocht (20b) van de tegenoverliggende gebogen vleugel (18b) beïnvloedt.3. Grid-shaped trough connection device (10, 10 ', 10 ") according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it furthermore has two cuts 25 (30a, 30b), the first cut (30a) having one end of the bend (20a) of one of the curved wings (18a), and the second cut (30b) affects the opposite end of the bend (20b) of the opposite curved wing (18b).

4. Verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") voor roostervormige goten volgens één van de voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat het voorts twee sneden (32a, 32b) heeft, waarbij de eerste snede (32a) een gedeelte van de vrije sectie (22a) van één van de gebogen vleugels (18a) beïnvloedt, en de tweede snede 5 (32b) het tegenoverliggende gedeelte van de vrije sectie (22b) van de tegenoverliggende gebogen vleugel (18b) beïnvloedt.Grid-shaped trough connection device (10, 10 ', 10 ") according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it furthermore has two cuts (32a, 32b), the first cut (32a) being a part of the free section (22a) of one of the curved wings (18a), and the second cut (32b) affects the opposite portion of the free section (22b) of the opposing curved wing (18b).

5. Verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") voor roostervormige goten volgens conclusies 3 en 4, met het kenmerk dat de snede (30a, 30b) in de bocht (20a, 20b) en de snede (32a, 32b) in de vrije sectie (22a, 22b) van één en dezelfde 10 gebogen vleugel (18a, 18b) zich aan tegenoverliggende zijden van de gebogen vleugel (18a, 18b) bevinden.Grid-shaped trough connection device (10, 10 ', 10 ") according to claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the cut (30a, 30b) in the bend (20a, 20b) and the cut (32a, 32b) in the free section (22a, 22b) of one and the same curved wing (18a, 18b) are located on opposite sides of the curved wing (18a, 18b).

6. Verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") voor roostervormige goten volgens één van de voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat de gebogen vleugels (18a, 18b) zodanig door een groef (34) in twee secties zijn verdeeld, dat de groef (34) 15 een longitudinale draad (12) van de zijvleugel van de goot kan herbergen.Grid-shaped trough connection device (10, 10 ', 10 ") according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the curved wings (18a, 18b) are divided into two sections by a groove (34) such that the groove (34) can accommodate a longitudinal wire (12) from the side wing of the gutter.

7. Verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") voor roostervormige goten volgens één van de voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat het roostervormige goten kan verbinden door het vormen van gebogen secties.A grating-shaped gutter connecting device (10, 10 ', 10 ") according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it can connect grating-shaped gutters by forming curved sections.

8. Verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") voor roostervormige goten volgens één 20 van de voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat het roostervormige goten kan verbinden door het vormen van rechte secties.8. Grating-shaped gutter connecting device (10, 10 ', 10 ") according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it can connect grating-shaped gutters by forming straight sections.

9. Sectie van tenminste twee roostervormige goten verbonden door het verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") volgens één van de conclusies 1-6, met het kenmerk dat de sectie een gebogen vorm heeft.A section of at least two grid-shaped troughs connected by the connecting device (10, 10 ', 10 ") according to any of claims 1-6, characterized in that the section has a curved shape.

10. Sectie van tenminste twee roostervormige goten verbonden door het verbindingsapparaat (10, 10', 10") volgens één van de conclusies 1-6, met het kenmerk dat de sectie een rechte vorm heeft.Section of at least two grid-shaped channels connected by the connecting device (10, 10 ', 10 ") according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the section has a straight shape.