DE1072711B - Overturning switch that is switched on and off by a snap action - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an overcurrent switch that is switched on and off by a snap action is switched off and with a spring-loaded lever system to open and close the contacts Is provided.

A known quick-change device of the type indicated has a snap lever device on, which consists of two pivotally connected levers on which a spring force acts. One end of this snap lever device is with the movable contact member and the other End connected to a support member which is releasably locked in its normal position. As long as that Guide member is locked in this position, the snap lever can with the appropriate position of the operating handle transmit a closing force to the movable contact member; but if that Support member is unlocked, for example, for an automatic overcurrent release, it jumps out of the normal position, as a result of which the effect of the snap lever transmitting a closing force is canceled will. The snap spring comes into effect and moves the movable contact member into its open position Position. In order to close the switch again after such an opening, the support member must first be returned to its locked position again, which is achieved by moving the operating handle from its central position, which he at a Self-release takes place in its open position. Only then is the toggle lever from is now able to transmit a closing force. This means that the switch after a Self-triggering cannot be closed immediately and therefore not immediately ready for operation again is. In addition, there is in the known switch by the use of a single handle for Opening and closing the risk of it being opened unintentionally or negligently.

The aim of the invention is to create a switch that has the aforementioned disadvantages of the previous Avoids switch and can be closed again immediately after a self-triggering, whereby it is a allows quick and safe switching on and off at a constant speed, and the Once the switching process has been initiated, it cannot be influenced from the outside.

According to the invention this is achieved by two each movable between two end positions Snap lever devices, the first of which is connected to the switching member, one of the two Spring connecting snap lever devices, a locking member for locking the first snap lever device and for holding both snap lever devices in their first position Overcurrent switch,

by a snap action

is switched on or off

Applicant:

General Electric Comp.,
Schenectady, NY (V. St. A.)

Representative: Dipl.-Ing. E. Prince

and Dr. rer. nat. G. Hauser, patent attorneys,

Munich-Pasing, Bodenseestr. 3 a

Claimed priority:
V. St. v. America October 18, 1956

William Walker Turner, Drexel HUl, Pa. (V. St. A,),
has been named as the inventor

the force of the tensioned spring, the release of the locking member by the release device the spring allows the "first" and "second" snap-lever devices to be successively returned to their second To move position and thereby to open the switching element, a guide on the second snap lever device, which has the effect that when the second snap lever device is moved into its second end position the locking member locks the first snap lever device, and one of the two Snap lever devices independent device for returning the second snap lever device in its first position, in which the spring moves the locked first snap lever device into its first position returns to close the switching element.

Starting from the closed position of the invention Switch causes the locking member to release the release of one end the first snap lever device, which then under the action of the snap lever spring from its one Extreme position snaps into the other and thereby opens the contacts. By the snap associated displacement of the pivot point between the forming the first snap lever device To leverage! on which also one end of the snap lever spring is attached, a snapping of the second snap lever device is caused because the The other end of the spring is attached to this and the active axis of the spring when the spring is snapped over

909 708/252

first snap lever device the pivot point of the second snap lever device. This snapping of the second snap lever device leads to a renewed locking of the end released at the beginning of the release movement the first snap lever device. At the same time, the end connected to the toggle lever also becomes the mainspring is displaced on a path which gradually converges with the path on which the other is Moved end of the spring. This convergence continues until the second snap lever device snaps over is completed. The mainspring is therefore able to gradually shorten and thereby to supply the energy for snapping over the second snap lever device. If you now returns the second snap lever device to its starting position, thereby taking the first Snap lever device also returns to its original position, and the contacts are closed. The switch according to the invention is thus located after the locking device has been triggered caused, successively occurring snap action of each of the two snap lever devices in a position in which he is due to the return of the second snap lever device in their Starting position can be closed again immediately. This is for a quick operation of the switch decisive. The construction according to the invention also allows the use of separate, mutually independent devices for the manual opening and closing of the switch, wherein the shift lever can be designed so that it only allows closure of the switch, so that it it is impossible to open the switch unintentionally or negligently.

An example embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing. In it is

Fig. 1 is a side view, partially in section, showing an overcurrent switch according to the invention with the actuating device for the overcurrent switch in the closed position,

Fig. La is a section along the line Ia-I α of Fig. 1,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but with the parts of the device in one position which to go through the same shortly after tilting towards the open position,

Fig. 3 is a representation of the device in the fully open position at the time in which the return of the device to the ready-to-switch position has just been initiated,

Fig. 4 shows a representation of the device in the fully open position at a point in time in which has ended the return of the device to the ready-to-switch position, and

FIG. 5 shows a section along the line 5-5 according to FIG. 4.

The overcurrent switch shown in Fig. 1 is equipped with a movable contact piece 12, around a fixed pivot pin 13 suitably attached to a base plate 14 is pivotably mounted. A generally stationary contact piece acts with the movable contact piece 12 15 together, which is attached to a stationary pivot pin 16, which is conveniently attached to the Base plate 14 is attached to be pivotable through a small angle. A compression spring 17 presses the stationary contact piece 15 in contact contact with the movable contact piece 12 and secures the Sliding action between the two contact pieces in a known manner. The circuit through the switch leads from a terminal 18 through the interacting contact pieces 15 and 12 to an opposite one Terminal 19.

With the movable contact piece 12, a snap lever device 20 is coupled, which consists of two There is toggle lever members 21 and 22 which are connected to one another at a joint 23 so as to be pivotable. The snap lever device 20 is at one of its ends by means of a pivot pin 24 which is in between the toggle joint 21 and the movable contact member is located with the movable contact piece 12 pivotally connected. The other toggle lever member 22 carries a guide pin 26, which in a guide slot 28 in the stationary frame member 29 can slide. When the switch is closed According to Fig. 1, the guide pin 26 is at the lower end of the slot 28 by means of an appropriate Locking device 30 held in a releasable manner.

Each of the toggle links consists of two spaced apart mutually arranged parts, between which the individual pivot pins in lateral Extend direction. For example, Fig. 1 a shows the guide pin 26, which is zwisehen in the transverse direction the spaced apart parts of the toggle link 22 extends. From the In the same figure, it can be seen that the frame member 29 is an expediently on the frame work 31 is attached U-shaped member, wherein the framework 31 is in turn attached to the base plate 14. The locking device 30 consists of a bolt 32 which is pivotable at 33 on the framework 31 is mounted and by a small return spring 34 is pushed counterclockwise. The upper end of the latch 32 is notched for reception of the guide pin 26 and holds it at the lower end of the slot 28 as long as the bolt 32 is held in the position shown in FIG. To the latch 32 releasable in the position according to FIG. 1 to hold, a locking bolt 36 is provided which is pivotally mounted at 37. The locking bolt 36 is by means of a spring 38 which tries to urge it counterclockwise against the stop 39, pressed into the locking position according to FIG.

The locking bolt 36 can be operated either by hand or electrically in a known manner to the Trigger switch. Switching off by hand is made possible by a sliding element in the framework 31 Attached release rod 40, at the outer end of which a push button 42 is attached. The trigger bar 40 is pressed into the normal position according to FIG. 1 by means of a compression spring 41. When the push button 42 is pressed, the right end of the release rod pushes against the locking bolt 36, moving it clockwise and causes the switch to be unlocked or triggered. For electrical triggering of the switch, a trigger 43 is used, which pulls the locking bolt out of its locked position according to FIG shifts to the right.

The snap lever device 20 is in its extended position by means of a snap lever tension spring 50 according to Fig. 1 held. One end of the tension spring 50 is connected to the joint 23 of the snap lever device and its other end connected by means of the pin 51 to an actuating member 52 which extends around a stationary pin 53 is pivotably mounted. In the position shown in Fig. 1 causes the Tension spring 50 so that the toggle lever member 22 rests against the stop 55 which is carried by the actuating member 52, so that the snap lever device 20 in stretched

Position is held. In the position according to FIG. 1, the tension spring 50 also has the effect that the actuating member 52 clockwise about its pivot point 53 into the contact position on the upper wall of the U-shaped Frame member 29 is urged. In this way, the tension spring 50 interacts with the frame member 29 and holds the actuating member 52 in the position according to FIG. 1.

Movement of the locking bolt 36 from its position below the bolt 32 has the consequence that this can now perform a rotary movement about its own pivot point 33 clockwise and thus releases the guide pin 26 for movement in its guide slot 28. When the guide pin 26 is released, comes the pretensioned tension spring 50, supported by the contact spring 17 and of magnetic forces that strive to separate the contact pieces 12 and 15 to the effect and drives the guide pin 26 up along the slot 28. The small return spring 34 on the bolt ao 32 opposes this upward movement of the guide pin 26 only a negligible resistance. This upward movement of the guide pin 26 has the consequence that the toggle lever member 22 about the stop 55 is rotated clockwise and thus the toggle lever members 22 and 21 from their aligned Position are moved so that the snap lever device 20 is buckled. This allows the The tension spring initiates the separation of the contact pieces.

When this process has progressed to the stage shown in FIG. 2, the guide pin 26 has the effective axis of the stress-free axis Tension spring 50 exceeded and is at the top of the Guide slot 28 come to a standstill. The tension spring 50, which gradually relaxes, causes then pivoting of the toggle lever member 22 clockwise about the axis of the guide pin 26 the position shown in Fig. 3 out. As a result, the movable contact piece 12 is opened further until it finally, coming to the stop on the stop member 57, reaches its fully open position.

To the extent that the toggle lever member 22 moves into the position according to FIG. 3, the effective axis becomes of the tension spring 50 from one side of the pivot pin 53 for the actuating member 52 to the other side the same postponed. When this occurs, the tension spring begins the actuator 52 about its pivot point 53 and to pivot through the position shown in FIG. This movement of the actuator counterclockwise advances until the actuator has reached the final or ready-to-switch position according to FIG.

When moving through the position of FIG. 3 against the position of FIG. 4, the actuating member 52 detects the guide pin 26 and drives it in the Slot 28 down. When the guide pin reaches the lower end of the slot 28, it is again with the notched portion of the latch 32 in alignment and allows the latch to, under the action of its small return spring 34 to take its locking position again. When this happens, it falls Locking bolt 36 behind the bolt 32 and holds this and the guide pin in their locked position according to Fig. 4. The device is then set ready for switching again.

The above-described driving action between the operating member 52 and the guide pin 26 takes place via a cam surface 60 which is provided on the lower side of the actuating member 52. These Cam surface 60 and the guide slot 28 are shaped so that in the positive downward movement of the guide pin 26 by the cam surface 60, the toggle joint 23 is displaced on a path which gradually converges with the path along which the pin 51 of the actuating member 52 moves. In other words: To the extent that the actuating member 52 via the position according to FIG. 3 in the 4 moves, the distance between the pin 51 and the toggle joint 23 takes place away. This is important insofar as the two ends of the tension spring 50 with these two pins 51 and 23 are connected. Since the distance between the two ends of the tension spring 50 progressively decreases, relaxed the spring during the entire return movement of the actuator 52, and it is therefore the spring 50 alone is capable of moving the outer end of the snap lever assembly 20 to its locked position according to FIG. 4. So there are no additional return springs to initiate this process necessary, as has been the case so far.

When the mechanism is returned to the position of FIG. 4, the snap lever device is 20 able to transmit a closing force to the movable contact piece 12, since the outer end 26 the snap lever device is locked in a stationary position. Closing the circuit is only achieved by pivoting the actuator 52 clockwise about its pivot point 53 from the position according to FIG. 4 into the position according to FIG. This causes the pin 51 to go up moved and the axis of action of the spring 50 shifted to the guide pin 26 and then above the same. As the axis of action of the spring 50 moves up to the guide pin 26, the spring becomes 50 excited. However, if the axis of action of the spring is above the guide pin 26, the Spring free and can relax quickly. When relaxing, the spring lifts the joint 23 of the snap lever device 20 quickly, it stretches and forces the movable contact member 12 to quickly move into to move the switched-on position according to FIG. To the extent that the knee joint is lifted by the spring 50 When this occurs, the spring 50 is completed the upward movement of the actuator 52 and then holds it in the stop position on the upper wall of the frame member 29, as shown in FIG. To raise the actuator 52 for the purpose To bring about the switch-on process described, a handle device 65 is provided, which with an enlarged part of the pin 51 on the actuating member 52 cooperates. As Fig. 1 shows, there is Handle device 65 from a shaft 66 which is mounted in a stationary front plate 67. On the outside At the end of the shaft 66, a handle 68 is anchored, by means of which a limited pivoting of the shaft 66 can be brought about. At the inner end of the shaft 66, a crank 70 is anchored to its outer end carries an axially protruding crank pin 71 with a loose roller 72.

In the ready-to-switch position according to FIGS. 4 and 5, the pin 51 of the actuating element is located directly above the crank roller 72. If the handle 68 is actuated in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 5, the shaft 66 is set in rotation and the roller 72 is raised by means of the crank parts 70 and 71. The roller 72 in turn comes to the stop with the pin 51, lifts the actuating member 52 and causes the switch to close in the manner described above

Way. Since the tension spring 50 holds the actuating member in the position according to FIG. 1, the handle device 65 are returned to their original position without the actuator or another part of the switch mechanism is affected. Fig. 1 shows the handle device after the return movement. Since the handle device 65 is independent of the actuator 52 can be returned to its normal position, the handle device can be the actuator not lower.

Due to the arrangement of the actuating member 52 and the handle device 65 as separable components, which are connected to one another by a drive that is only effective in one drive direction, the handle only for the entrainment of the actuator 52 in the switch-on direction of the switch makes it suitable, undesired irregularities in the switch-off speed are eliminated, which were unavoidable with previous switches. The return of the handle device in their normal position according to FIG. 1 does not affect the actuating member 52, since this is affected by the Tension spring 50 remains held in its upper position. A housing 75 encloses the device and makes the actuator 52 for external actuation inaccessible by any means other than the handle device 65. The actuator 52 can so from its position according to FIG. 1 into that according to FIG. 4 only by triggering the switch in the already described Way to be convicted. The switch can only be activated by releasing the guide pin 26 can be opened. This release or release is described from outside the front panel 67 in FIG Way brought about by pressing the push button 42.

It can be seen that the disclosed switch mechanism is capable of moving to the open position even then arrive when the manually operated crank pin 71, 72 is in the uppermost position, since the mechanism is out of the Position of Fig. 1 in the open position of Fig. 3 can move freely, even if the roller 72 is moving downward of the actuator could block past the position of FIG. To this The mechanism is secured against undesired mechanical release.

Claims (1)

Patent claims: I. Overcurrent switch that is switched on and off by a snap action and equipped with a spring-loaded lever system for opening and closing the contacts is characterized by two snap lever devices which can be moved between two end positions (20, 20; 52), of which the first (20) is connected to the switching element (12), one the a spring (50) connecting the two snap lever devices, a locking member (32) for locking the first snap lever device (20) and for holding both snap lever devices in its first position against the force of the tensioned spring (50), the release of the Locking member (32) by the release device (36) of the spring (50) allowed the first and sequentially moving the second snap lever device to its second position and thereby to open the switching element (12), a guide (60) on the second snap lever device (20, 52), which has the effect that when the second snap lever device is moved into its second ίο end position- the locking member (32) locks the first snap lever device (20), and a device (65) independent of the two snap lever devices for returning the second snap lever device (20, 52) to its first position, in which the spring (50) the locked first snap lever device (20) returns to its first position in order to close the switching element (12).
2. Overcurrent switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the first snap lever device (20) comprises two members (21,22) which are hingedly connected to one another, of which the outer end of one member (21) is connected to the switching member (12) is, the outer end of the other link (22) is equipped with a pin (26) cooperating with the locking member (32) and one end of the spring (50) on the joint (23) connecting the two links (21, 22) attacks. 3. Overcurrent switch according to claim 2, characterized in that the second Member (22) of the first snap lever device (20) provided pin (26) in a guide (28) is movable, the ends of which are designed as stops to limit the path of movement of the limb are. 4. Overcurrent switch according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that the second snap lever device (20, 52) equipped with a rotatably mounted angle lever member (52) is, with the free end of which the other end of the spring (50) is connected. 5. Overcurrent switch according to claim 4, characterized in that a cam surface (60) is provided on the angle lever member (52), on which the guide pin (26) rests during the movement of the angle lever member (52) in its second position in order to lock the \ ⁷ "locking link (32) to allow. 6. Overcurrent switch according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the independent device (65) for returning the second snap lever device (20, 52) a rotatable one Handle (68) for turning a crank arm (70) which brings the angle lever member (52) into a position in which the pretensioned spring (50) guides the first and second snap lever devices into their starting positions to the switching element close. Considered publications:
German Auslegeschrift K 22575 VIIIb / 21 c (published on April 26, 1956). 1 sheet of drawings