GROUNDING DEVICE WITH PLASTIC HOUSING

Abstract

A grounding device comprising a plastic body, the plastic housing comprising a base internal structure made of a soft elastic material, such as a thermoplastic elastomer having a plastic hardness within the Shore Hardness scale A range, and said base internal plastic structure is coupled to and covered by an external structure made of a plastic material having a greater plastic hardness.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment example of the invention is now explained with the aid of FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of exemplary grounding device plastic housing components according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a first perspective view of a grounding device according to the invention in its assembled state.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the grounding device plastic housing bottom part and a contact element connected to a grounding wire conductor.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a grounding electrical connection according to the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a second perspective view of a grounding device according to the invention in its assembled state.

Claims

1. Grounding device comprising a plastic body, the plastic housing comprising a base internal structure made of a soft elastic material, such as a thermoplastic elastomer having a plastic hardness within the Shore Hardness scale A range, wherein said base internal plastic structure is coupled to and covered by an external structure made of a plastic material having a greater plastic hardness.

2. The grounding device of claim 1 characterized in that the base internal structure is made of a plastic with a Shore Hardness less than 35 at Shore A scale and the external structure is made of a plastic such as a polyamide with a Ball Hardness of at least 40-310 MPa at H358/30 scale.

3. The grounding device of claim 1 characterized in that the internal plastic structure has a profiled outer surface which matches an inner surface of the external plastic base structure for coupling purposes.

4. The grounding device of claim 1 characterized in that the internal plastic structure has an inner surface with two mutually spaced sealing lips segments and a bed of knops in between.

5. The grounding device of claim 1 characterized in that the external base structure has an outer surface adapted for the use of fixing elements such as clamps or locks which maintain the housing structure fastened in an assembled state around a cable.

6. The grounding device of claim 5, the external base structure further comprising at least one claw-like element for mechanical coupling and/or for pivot or guidance of said external base structure.

7. The grounding device of claim 1 further comprising a contact element connected to a grounding wire conductor, the contact element made of a sheet of metal which matches in form the surface of the metal body to be grounded.

8. The grounding device of claim 7 in which the contact element and a cable's outer conductor are pressed for making an electrical contact.

9. Method for manufacturing a grounding device, the method comprising connecting a contact element, made of a sheet of metal matching in form the surface of a metal body to be grounded, to a grounding wire conductor,molding an internal structure made of a soft elastic material having a plastic hardness within the Shore Hardness scale A range,molding an external base structure made of a plastic having a plastic hardness greater than the internal plastic structure, andcoupling the internal and external plastic structure.

10. The method for manufacturing of claim 9 characterized in that the contact element connected to the grounding wire conductor is embedded in the internal and external plastic structure when molding the plastic or is manually installed in a later step.