EP0296183B1 - Ausschalterkontaktzusammenbau - Google Patents

Ausschalterkontaktzusammenbau Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0296183B1
EP0296183B1 EP19870907568 EP87907568A EP0296183B1 EP 0296183 B1 EP0296183 B1 EP 0296183B1 EP 19870907568 EP19870907568 EP 19870907568 EP 87907568 A EP87907568 A EP 87907568A EP 0296183 B1 EP0296183 B1 EP 0296183B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
circuit breaker
contact
blade
movable blade
movable
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19870907568
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0296183A1 (de
EP0296183A4 (de
Inventor
John M. Winter
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Schneider Electric USA Inc
Original Assignee
Square D Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Square D Co filed Critical Square D Co
Publication of EP0296183A1 publication Critical patent/EP0296183A1/de
Publication of EP0296183A4 publication Critical patent/EP0296183A4/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0296183B1 publication Critical patent/EP0296183B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H73/00—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches in which excess current opens the contacts by automatic release of mechanical energy stored by previous operation of a hand reset mechanism
    • H01H73/02—Details
    • H01H73/04—Contacts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/12—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage
    • H01H1/14—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting
    • H01H1/22—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting with rigid pivoted member carrying the moving contact

Definitions

  • Circuit breakers often have a moving contact mounted on a fixed pivotable blade that is controlled by an operating mechanism.
  • a pair of links are directly connected to the movable blade to open and close the circuit breaker contacts as shown in Figure 1.
  • US-A-2,600,233 discloses a circuit breaker having a movable contact bar 22 with a slot 20 that receives a pivot pin 16, and a projection 38 located below the slot 20 for engagement and bias by a leaf spring 34.
  • the movable contact bar 22 further includes a contact 24 for engagement with a fixed contact 26.
  • GB-A-2,033,663, EP-A-0,145,990 and GB-A-2,166,906 disclose various circuit breakers having first and second movable contact arms wherein the movable contact arms are both associated with spring biasing means.
  • a circuit breaker comprising: a first contact mounted on a movable first blade, the first movable blade having a curved surface cooperating with a stationary flat load contact terminal surface to form a floating pivot adjacent one end; a second contact mounted on a second blade; an operating mechanism connected to the first movable blade, said operating mechanism moving said first movable blade between an open position and a closed position, wherein in said open position said first contact and said second contact are separated, wherein in said closed position said first contact and said second contact are engaged; characterized in that said second blade is movable and a resilient member acts on the second movable blade to move said second contact towards said first contact said resilient member providing the sole contact pressure when the circuit breaker is in the closed condition and resulting in said floating pivot experiencing substantially zero loading when said circuit breaker is in an open condition.
  • Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of the contact assembly and mechanism of a circuit breaker.
  • Figure 2 is a side view of a portion of the contact assembly and operating mechanism of a prior art circuit breaker.
  • Figure 3 is a side view of a moving blade pivot assembly of Figure 2.
  • Figure 4 is a side view of a circuit breaker having a floating pivot blade in the closed position.
  • Figure 5 is a side view of a circuit breaker having a floating pivot blade in the manually opened position.
  • Figure 6 is a side view of a circuit breaker having a floating pivot blade in the tripped position.
  • the circuit breaker is indicated generally by the reference character 10.
  • the current path through the circuit breaker is via the load terminal 12, load side flexible connector 14, upper blade 16, moving main contact 18 and moving arcing contact, lower main and arcing contacts 22 and 24, respectively, lower blade 26, line side flex connector 28 and line terminal 30.
  • the contacts are open and closed by moving the upper blade 16 via the operating mechanism, indicated generally as 34.
  • the upper link 36 and lower link 38 form a nearly straight line to force the upper blade 16 and the upper blade carrier 40 down.
  • the moving main contacts 18 and moving arcing contact then engage the lower main contacts 22 and lower arcing contact 24, depressing the contact springs 44 to provide the necessary contact force.
  • the contact spring 44 is the only component that creates contact force.
  • the lower main and arcing contacts, 22 and 24, respectively exert an upwards force on the right side of the upper blade 16 via the moving main and arcing contacts, as shown in Figure 4.
  • the lower link 38 exerts a downwards force near the center of the upper blade 16 via the upper blade carrier 40.
  • the upper blade carrier 40 is solidly connected to the upper blade 16.
  • the upper blade 16 is approximately rectangular in shape and has moving main contacts 18 and a moving arcing contact mounted at one end and a rounded pivot end 46 at the other end.
  • the pivot end 46 rests on a surface 48 of the load terminal 12.
  • the pivot end 46 of the upper blade 16 is free floating and does not rotate about a fixed point.
  • the operating mechanism 34 causes the upper link 36 and lower link 38 to collapse.
  • the link pivot 50 moves to the left. as shown in Figures 5 and 6, causing the lower link 38 to move the upper blade carrier 40 and upper blade 16 in the upwards direction.
  • the other components of the operating mechanism have different positions in the tripped position than in the manually opened position. It is sufficient for the purposes herein to recognize that in both positions the upper link 36 and lower link 38 collapse, causing the contacts to separate.
  • the load terminal surface 48 and the pivot end 46 provide a current path parallel to that of the line side flexible connector 14. In the design as shown, roughly half of the current flows through each current path, thus reducing the power loss and heat rise. In the circuit breaker shown and described herein, the overall heat loss of the circuit breaker was reduced by approximately ten percent by the use of the two parallel paths.
  • the pivot end 46 and load terminal surface 48 provide a current path between the load terminal 12 and upper blade 16 via a pressure fit.
  • the pressure connection between these two current carrying members must be as smooth as possible. Any wear on the pivot end 46 or on the load terminal surface 48 will cause that joint to deteriorate, resulting in a higher resistance in that current path.
  • the part dimensions of the load terminal and upper blade are critical when a fixed pivot is used but not with the use of the floating pivot design.
  • the upper blade 16 is made of copper or another material having a low electrical resistance. Since these materials also often are relatively soft, the pivot end 46 of the upper blade 16 wears very poorly. Thus it is important to reduce the upwards force on the pivot as quickly and as much as possible. By eliminating the prior art spring positioned between the upper blade carrier 40 and the upper blade 16, the downwards force previously applied by the blade spring to the upper blade continuously is eliminated as soon as the contacts part. The wear on the pivot end 46 is reduced considerably. The watts lost through the circuit breaker will stay approximately constant during the life of the circuit breaker.
  • the floating pivot design is a simple and inexpensive solution to a recurring problem.

Landscapes

  • Breakers (AREA)

Claims (6)

  1. Ein Überlast-Schutzschalter mit: einem ersten Kontakt (18), der auf einem beweglichen ersten Blatt (16) angeordnet ist, wobei das erste, bewegliche Blatt (16) eine gekrümmte Fläche hat, die mit einer festen, flachen Lastanschlußkontaktfläche (48) so zusammenwirkt, daß neben einem Ende ein freibeweglicher Schwenkpunkt (46) gebildet wird; einem zweiten Kontakt (22), der auf einem zweiten Blatt (26) angeordnet ist; einem mit dem ersten, beweglichen Blatt (16) verbundenen Betätigungsmechanismus (34), wobei der Betätigungsmechanismus (34) das erste, bewegliche Blatt (16) zwischen einer offenen Stellung und einer geschlossenen Stellung bewegt, wobei in der offenen Stellung der erste Kontakt (18) und der zweite Kontakt (22) getrennt sind, und in der geschlossenen Stellung der erste Kontakt (18) und der zweite Kontakt (22) aufeinandergreifen; dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das zweite Blatt (26) beweglich ist und ein elastisches Element (44) auf das zweite, bewegliche Blatt (26) so wirkt, daß der zweite Kontakt (22) zum ersten Kontakt (18) hinbewegt wird, wobei das elastische Element (44) den einzigen Kontaktdruck bewirkt, wenn sich der Überlast-Schutzschalter (10) in der geschlossenen Stellung befindet und mit dem Ergebnis, daß der freibewegliche Schwenkpunkt (46) eine annähernde Null-Belastung erfährt, wenn sich der Überlast-Schutzschalter (10) in einer offenen Stellung befindet.
  2. Ein Überlast-Schutzschalter gemäß Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Betätigungsmechanismus (34) schwenkbar mit dem ersten, beweglichen Blatt (16) verbunden ist, um das erste, bewegliche Blatt (16) ohne Zeitverzögerung zu bewegen.
  3. Ein Überlast-Schutzschalter gemäß Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das erste, bewegliche Blatt (16) einen gekrümmten, freibeweglichen Bereich in der Nähe eines Endes aufweist, wobei das zweite, bewegliche Blatt (26) auf einer festen Schwenksachse montiert ist.
  4. Ein Überlast-Schutzschalter gemäß Anspruch 2 oder 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Überlast-Schutzschalter (10) einen ersten Anschluß (12) und ein erstes, elastisches Verbindungsglied (14) aufweist, wobei der freibewegliche Schwenkpunkt (46) des ersten, beweglichen Blattes auf diesem ersten Anschluß (12) angeordnet ist und das erste, elastische Verbindungsglied (14) mit dem ersten Anschluß (12) und dem ersten, beweglichen Blatt (16) verbunden ist.
  5. Ein Überlast-Schutzschalter gemäß Anspruch 1, 2, 3 oder 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Betätigungsmechanismus (34) mit dem ersten, beweglichen Blatt (16) in einer nicht elastischen Weise verbunden ist.
  6. Ein Überlast-Schutzschalter gemäß Anspruch 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der erste Anschluß (12) einen flachen Bereich (48) aufweist und der freibewegliche Schwenkpunkt (46) des ersten beweglichen Blattes auf diesem flachen Bereich (48) angeordnet ist.
EP19870907568 1986-10-24 1987-10-23 Ausschalterkontaktzusammenbau Expired - Lifetime EP0296183B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US92257686A 1986-10-24 1986-10-24
US922576 1986-10-24

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0296183A1 EP0296183A1 (de) 1988-12-28
EP0296183A4 EP0296183A4 (de) 1990-02-26
EP0296183B1 true EP0296183B1 (de) 1993-02-03

Family

ID=25447246

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19870907568 Expired - Lifetime EP0296183B1 (de) 1986-10-24 1987-10-23 Ausschalterkontaktzusammenbau

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0296183B1 (de)
CA (1) CA1310046C (de)
DE (1) DE3784065T2 (de)
WO (1) WO1988003324A1 (de)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2709251B2 (ja) * 1992-02-27 1998-02-04 寺崎電気産業株式会社 引出形回路遮断器

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2600223A (en) * 1944-11-10 1952-06-10 Westinghouse Electric Corp Circuit interrupter
US3593227A (en) * 1968-02-28 1971-07-13 Gennady Fedosievich Mitskevich Automatic electrodynamic blowoff breaker with stationary contact form of two series wound u-shaped members
US4259651A (en) * 1978-10-16 1981-03-31 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Current limiting circuit interrupter with improved operating mechanism
IE56136B1 (en) * 1983-12-19 1991-04-24 Westinghouse Electric Corp Circuit breaker with improved cross-bar and contact assembly
US4598263A (en) * 1984-11-13 1986-07-01 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Magnetically operated circuit breaker
JPH0658785B2 (ja) * 1985-06-12 1994-08-03 株式会社東芝 回路しや断器
US4680562A (en) * 1985-07-29 1987-07-14 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Integral circuit interrupter with separable modules
US4626811A (en) * 1985-10-15 1986-12-02 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Circuit interrupter with integral resilient stop means for contact arm

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3784065T2 (de) 1993-07-15
EP0296183A1 (de) 1988-12-28
CA1310046C (en) 1992-11-10
WO1988003324A1 (en) 1988-05-05
EP0296183A4 (de) 1990-02-26
DE3784065D1 (de) 1993-03-18

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