IP Library Granted Patent US 7,881,045
Granted Patent B2
US 7,881,045 · App. 12/232,808 · Granted Feb 1, 2011

Enclosure of a power electronics appliance

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,881,045
App. No.
12/232,808
Granted
Feb 1, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

An enclosure arrangement, with protection against touch, of a power electronics appliance, more particularly of a frequency converter ( 31, 51 ) and its additional devices ( 12, 13 ), which solution contains an enclosed power electronics appliance and one or more enclosed additional devices installed in connection with it, which enclosed power electronics appliance and additional devices are modules, which can be fitted to be installed in combination one above the other such that the protection against touch of the appliance entity formed is as great as or higher than the protection against touch of the separate appliances.

Claims (44)

1. An enclosure arrangement, comprising:

an enclosed power electronics appliance; and

enclosed additional devices which are connected to the power electronics appliance, the additional devices being different from the power electronics appliance,

the arrangement providing protection against touch of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices,

wherein the enclosed power electronics appliance and the enclosed additional devices are modules, which are adapted to be installed in combination one above the other to form a self-enclosed appliance assembly in which the power electronics appliance module and the additional devices module directly contact and mechanically interface with each other,

wherein the protection against touch of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is as great as or higher than the protection against touch of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices as in a situation when the power electronics appliance and the additional devices are arranged separately from each other and do not directly contact and mechanically interface with each other.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the power electronics appliance and the additional devices are installed in combination one above the other in a desired sequence to form the self-enclosed appliance assembly.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein a protection class of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is at least IP2X.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein a rear part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is provided with a vertical space extending from top to bottom of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, from which an unbroken cooling air duct is formed.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the power electronics appliance is a frequency converter and a cooling air duct is provided rearwardly of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, and

wherein connections of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices of the self-enclosed appliance assembly are insulated from the air duct according to protection class IP54.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein an enclosure class of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is set based on characteristics of the power electronics appliance forming part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, so that when a different power electronics appliance having different characteristics forms part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, the self-enclosed appliance assembly has a different enclosure class.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1 ,

wherein the self-enclosed appliance assembly is exposed and not enclosed in another enclosure.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1 ,

wherein when the additional devices module is disposed below the power electronics appliance module, separate protection against touching connections of the power electronics appliance module is not needed.

9. The arrangement according to claim 2

wherein when the power electronics appliance and the additional devices are installed in combination one above the other, a protection class of the of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is at least IP2X.

10. The arrangement according to claim 2 ,

wherein a rear part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is provided with a space extending from top to bottom of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices installed in combination one above the other, from which an unbroken cooling air duct is formed.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1 ,

wherein the power electronics appliance and the additional devices are configured so that when the power electronics appliance and the additional devices are installed one above the other, a mechanical interface between the power electronics appliance and the additional devices forms a seam having a close fit, and the self-enclosed appliance assembly is fully protected against touch.

12. The arrangement according to claim 2 ,

wherein the power electronics appliance is a frequency converter, and a cooling air duct is provided at a rear of the power electronics appliance and

wherein connections of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices of the self-enclosed appliance assembly are insulated from the air duct according to protection class IP54.

13. The arrangement according to claim 3 ,

wherein the power electronics appliance is a frequency converter, and a cooling air duct is provided at a rear of the power electronics appliance and

wherein connections of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices of the self-enclosed appliance assembly are insulated from the air duct according to protection class IP54.

14. The arrangement according to claim 4 ,

wherein the power electronics appliance is a frequency converter, and a cooling air duct is provided at a rear of the power electronics appliance and

wherein connections of the power electronics appliance and the additional devices of the self-enclosed appliance assembly are insulated from the air duct according to protection class IP54.

15. The arrangement according to claim 2 ,

wherein an enclosure class of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is set based on characteristics of the power electronics appliance forming part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, so that when a different power electronics appliance having different characteristics forms part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, the self-enclosed appliance assembly has a different enclosure class.

16. The arrangement according to claim 3 ,

wherein an enclosure class of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is set based on characteristics of the power electronics appliance forming part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, so that when a different power electronics appliance having different characteristics forms part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, the self-enclosed appliance assembly has a different enclosure class.

17. The arrangement according to claim 4 ,

wherein an enclosure class of the self-enclosed appliance assembly is set based on characteristics of the power electronics appliance forming part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, so that when a different power electronics appliance having different characteristics forms part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly, the self-enclosed appliance assembly has a different enclosure class.

18. The arrangement according to claim 1 ,

wherein when the additional devices are installed independently of the power electronics appliance, a roof plate and base plate is provided to the additional devices in order provide a touch-protected structure, and

when the power electronics appliance and the additional devices are installed one above the other to form the self-enclosed appliance assembly, one or both of the roof plate and the base plate are omitted.

19. The arrangement according to claim 2 ,

wherein connections of the power electronics appliance are disposed at a bottom part of the power electronics appliance so that the connections are protected from accidental touch when the module of the power electronics appliance is disposed as an independent unit, or at a lowest part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly.

20. The arrangement according to claim 3 ,

wherein connections of the power electronics appliance are disposed at a bottom part of the power electronics appliance so that the connections are protected from accidental touch when the module of the power electronics appliance is disposed as an independent unit or at a lowest part of the self-enclosed appliance assembly.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 13, 2024
From: VACON OY
To: DANFOSS DRIVES OY
Reel/Frame 068321/0125 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 22, 2016
From: VACON OYJ
To: VACON OY
Reel/Frame 039113/0558 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 24, 2008
From: PISPA, MATTI
To: VACON OYJ
Reel/Frame 021654/0971 →