EP0569651A1 - Assembling process for phase/neutral conductor circuit breakers and circuit breaker of that kind - Google Patents

Abstract

Process for assembling a phase/neutral conductor circuit breaker comprising, in a box, which is preferably modular and intended to be fixed to a support rail, and including two half-shells (10, 11) and a dividing partition or spacer (12), connection terminals, pairs of fixed contacts (20, 35) and moving contacts (17, 29), arc cutoff chambers (24, 38), a control mechanism with lock (40) for manually operating the moving phase/neutral contacts between a closed position bearing on the fixed contacts and an open position separated from them, this lock mechanism comprising a moving-contact holder (41) and disconnection means, particularly thermal (27) and/or magnetic (33). The phase circuit is split into two parts, on the one hand a moving-contact sub-assembly and on the other hand a magnetic sub-assembly (31) including the fixed phase contact (35), whilst the moving (17) and fixed (20) neutral contacts form part of moving- (13) and fixed- (18) contact sub-assemblies respectively, these phase/neutral sub-assemblies incorporating their links to the corresponding terminal and to an arc guidance piece, as well as their respective connection terminals. The circuit breaker is assembled along a single mounting axis starting from one of the two half-shells which then forms a mounting platform. All the internal components of the circuit breaker are installed with the same orientation parallel to a vertical plane perpendicular to the box. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a method for assembling phase and neutral circuit breakers of the type comprising, in a housing, preferably modular and intended to be fixed on a support rail, and comprising two half-shells and an intermediate partition or spacer separating two spaces, respectively of phase and neutral, terminals of connection of phase and neutral, pairs of fixed and movable contacts of phase and neutral, arc breaking chambers in which are mounted stacks of sheets called "deion" sub-assemblies, respectively for phase and neutral, a control mechanism with lock for manual control of the movable phase and neutral contacts between a closed position bearing on the fixed contacts and an open position remote from the latter, this lock mechanism comprising an actuating member operable from the outside of the housing and a movable contact carrier on which said gold acts maneuvering gane, and disjunction means, in particular thermal and / or magnetic, for releasing said lock mechanism and passing the movable contacts from their position in abutment on the fixed contacts to their position remote from the latter, the phase circuit being divided into two parts, on the one hand, a mobile contact sub-assembly comprising the contact phase mobile and its connection with the corresponding connection terminal, possibly with a thermal bimetal inserted in this connection, and an arc guiding part, and on the other hand a magnetic sub-assembly comprising the fixed phase contact, the magnetic circuit breaker connected to the corresponding connection terminal and an arc guiding part, while the mobile neutral contact is part of a mobile neutral contact sub-assembly including the connection to the corresponding terminal.

The present invention aims to provide a new method of assembling phase and neutral circuit breakers, which is very simple and flexible and which allows a high degree of automation.

Another objective of the invention is to provide an assembly process allowing, without significant change in the automatic assembly phases, to pass from a manufacturing with neutral stage on the left to a manufacturing with neutral stage on the right, for take particular account of the standards in force in the various countries.

Yet another objective of the invention is to provide an assembly process allowing the manufacture of a whole range of apparatuses, that is to say apparatuses for different intensity levels, without notable modifications of the course. of said process.

The invention finally aims to provide phase and neutral circuit breakers comprising a reduced number of parts and capable of being assembled in an efficient manner with a high degree of automation.

The subject of the invention is therefore a method of assembling a circuit breaker of the type described at the start, characterized in that the circuit breaker is assembled along a single mounting axis from one of the two half-shells then forming a plate of assembly, namely the half-shell on the neutral side if we start with the neutral stage or the half-shell on the phase side if we start with the phase stage, and in that we put in place all the internal components of the circuit breaker in the same orientation parallel to a vertical plane perpendicular to the housing, whether assembly is started by the neutral stage or by the phase stage. By single mounting axis, it should be understood that all the components of the circuit breaker, including the central spacer and the second half-shell are placed on the plate assembly consisting of the first half-shell, in a single vertical direction which is the direction of the assembly axis.

Thus, for the assembly of a circuit breaker with neutral on the left, we can start with the phase part while we will start with the neutral part for a circuit breaker with neutral on the right, or vice versa. For the definition of the left and right sides, reference will be made to the beginning of the detailed description which follows the description of the figures. Advantageously, the mobile neutral contact sub-assembly, the magnetic sub-assembly and the mobile phase contact sub-assembly, possibly including the bimetal strip, can be mounted manually, all the other components of the circuit breaker being put in place. automatically. The mobile phase contact sub-assembly with its bimetallic strip and the magnetic sub-assembly are almost identical variants for the versions with neutral on the left and with neutral on the right, some being obtained by mirror inversion of the others, hence an incentive extra to mount them manually.

Since the magnetic sub-assembly is rigid, provision may also be made for mounting it automatically as well as for the fixed neutral contact sub-assembly, by means of the automatic device ensuring automated assembly.

The automatic installation can be ensured judiciously by a single automaton intervening twice or by two successive automata. In the latter case, the two PLCs share the task before and after the intermediate phase of manual assembly.

In the first case, an operator intervenes along the automation chain to manually mount the component or components required at this stage of assembly.

Preferably, for the assembly of a circuit breaker, the lock mechanism of which is of the toggle type, that is to say in particular in which the operating member is pushed back into position corresponding to the opening of the contacts by a return spring and which comprises a link, one end of which is mounted eccentrically on the operating member, a pivoting contact carrier having a ramp against which can come to bear and brace the other end of the connecting rod, the two movable contacts being mounted on the pivot axis of the contact carrier so as to be able to move slightly relative to the latter to exert a pressure of contact on their respective fixed contacts, a power spring urging the contact carrier in the opening direction and a pawl pivoted on the contact carrier and preventing the escape of the rod when it is braced against the door -contacts, the pawl being associated with a triggering means capable, when it is actuated, of causing the pawl to rock and releasing the link, and possibly driving the contact carrier in the open position for tearing forced movable contacts, the assembly process is characterized in that successively and automatically sets up, on the same geometric axis, a first movable contact, an elastic contact member intended to exert the contact pressure for said first movable contact, the contact carrier, a part comprising the pawl and the triggering means, a second movable contact, then a second elastic contact member t for the second mobile contact.

To ensure easy and precise installation, it being understood that positioning means are provided on the constituent parts of the housing, magnetic and fixed neutral contact sub-assemblies are advantageously provided and mobile neutral and contact sub-assemblies are partially rigid phase, the movable contacts being connected to the rest of the respective sub-assemblies by a flexible connection. When the thermal bimetal is present, it is also connected to the movable phase contact by a flexible connection.

The method according to the invention therefore very advantageously makes it possible to carry out all of the assembly according to one and the same mounting direction and to pass from a product with neutral on the left to a product with neutral on the right or vice versa without modifying the intervention. automata.

On the other hand, to facilitate the realization of a range of circuit breakers, it is advantageous to use the maximum of common components by an appropriate calibration of these, the variable components being essentially the bimetallic strip and the electromagnetic circuit breaker, and possibly conductive braids, which are all set up by hand.

The invention also relates to a phase and neutral circuit breaker capable of being assembled according to the method of the invention, of the type comprising more precisely an actuating member provided with a lever and normally pushed back into position corresponding to the opening of contacts by a return spring, a link, one end of which is mounted eccentrically on the actuating member, a pivoting contact carrier having a ramp against which the other end of it can come to bear and brace itself the link, two movable contacts mounted on the pivot axis of the contact carrier so as to be able to move slightly relative to the latter to exert contact pressure on their respective fixed contacts, a power spring urging the carrier contacts in the opening direction and a pawl pivoted on the contact carrier and preventing the escape of the rod when it is braced against the contact carrier, the pawl being associated with a trigger means capable, when is actuated, to cause the ratchet to tilt and release the link, and possibly to drive the contact carrier in the open position for forced removal of the movable contacts, caract laughed in that the pawl and the triggering means are made in one piece and in that the contact carrier, the movable contacts and the pawl-triggering means assembly are arranged so as to be able to pivot on a geometric axis common.

Preferably, the circuit breaker housing has a shaft end protruding from the half-shell acting as a mounting plate on which are placed successively a movable contact, an elastic contact member and the contact carrier, the latter comprising in addition, opposite the end of the shaft, a pivot with the same geometric axis as the end of the shaft and on which the ratchet-triggering assembly is placed, then the other movable contact with its elastic member of contact.

Preferably, the interior space of the housing is divided into three parts, the lower volume of this space, that is to say which adjoins the base of the housing, being divided by a central spacer to form a neutral part and a part phase and the upper volume forming a zone common to the neutral and to the phase essentially housing, in the middle position, the lock mechanism and the magnetic disjunction means.

The latter advantageously comprises a yoke which extends into the phase part to successively form the fixed contact and the phase arc guiding part, which extends substantially in parallel and opposite said magnetic disjunction means. The breaking chambers phase and neutral arcs are advantageously placed on either side of the spacer, below the magnetic disjunction means.

• les figures 1 et 2 sont des vues en coupe longitudinale d'un disjoncteur de phase et de neutre selon l'invention, avec neutre à gauche, la figure 1 montrant l'étage de phase et la figure 2, l'étage de neutre ;
• la figure 3 est une vue extérieure du disjoncteur selon les figures 1 et 2, montrant un petit côté dudit appareil ;
• les figures 4 et 5 sont des vues en coupe longitudinale d'un disjoncteur de phase et de neutre selon l'invention avec neutre à droite, la figure 4 montrant l'étage de neutre et la figure 5, l'étage de phase ;
• la figure 6 est une vue analogue à la figure 3, pour le disjoncteur selon les figures 4 et 5 ;
• la figure 7 est une vue éclatée d'un mécanisme de serrure selon l'invention ;
• les figures 8 à 12 sont des vues du mécanisme de serrure sans l'organe de manoeuvre, respectivement vue de droite, vue en coupe selon le plan de coupe IX-IX, vue de face, vue de gauche et vue en perspective de la vue de la figure 10 ;
• les figures 13 à 15 sont des vues partielles schématiques du disjoncteur selon l'invention, destinées à montrer le fonctionnement du mécanisme de serrure, les figures 13 à 15 représentant respectivement le mécanisme en position d'ouverture des contacts, en cours de fermeture des contacts et à l'état contacts fermés ;
• la figure 16 est une vue en élévation du sous-ensemble magnétique ;
• la figure 17 est une vue en coupe suivant le plan de coupe XVIII-XVIII de la figure 16 ;
• les figures 18 et 19 sont des vues en perspective du sous-ensemble magnétique ;
• la figure 20 est une vue éclatée de l'ensemble du dispositif de l'invention;
• et les figures 21 et 22 (a à v) illustrent le procédé d'assemblage selon l'invention.

The invention will now be described in more detail using an embodiment of a phase and neutral circuit breaker and its assembly process in neutral configuration on the left and neutral on the right, in conjunction with the drawing in which:

• Figures 1 and 2 are views in longitudinal section of a phase and neutral circuit breaker according to the invention, with neutral on the left, Figure 1 showing the phase stage and Figure 2, the neutral stage;
• Figure 3 is an exterior view of the circuit breaker according to Figures 1 and 2, showing a small side of said apparatus;
• Figures 4 and 5 are views in longitudinal section of a phase and neutral circuit breaker according to the invention with neutral on the right, Figure 4 showing the neutral stage and Figure 5, the phase stage;
• Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3, for the circuit breaker according to Figures 4 and 5;
• Figure 7 is an exploded view of a lock mechanism according to the invention;
• Figures 8 to 12 are views of the lock mechanism without the operating member, respectively right view, sectional view along the section plane IX-IX, front view, left view and perspective view of the view of Figure 10;
• Figures 13 to 15 are partial schematic views of the circuit breaker according to the invention, intended to show the operation of the lock mechanism, Figures 13 to 15 respectively representing the mechanism in the contact opening position, during contact closure and in the closed contacts state;
• Figure 16 is an elevational view of the magnetic sub-assembly;
• Figure 17 is a sectional view along the section plane XVIII-XVIII of Figure 16;
• Figures 18 and 19 are perspective views of the magnetic sub-assembly;
• Figure 20 is an exploded view of the assembly of the device of the invention;
• and Figures 21 and 22 (a to v) illustrate the assembly method according to the invention.

The circuit breakers according to the invention are preferably modular devices, that is to say those whose width is equal to a multiple of a defined module. They usually comprise a box having a base provided with means 2 for fixing and / or clipping (with retractable latch, not shown) on a support rail, not shown, and a top 3 having an opening 4 for the passage of the lever. actuating 5a of an operating member 5 of a lock mechanism which will be described later. The housing also usually has two short sides 6 and 7 having the electrical connection terminals and two large faces 8 and 9 called lateral faces, which are parallel to the median plane of the housing.

By convention, the left and right sides are defined with respect to the median plane of the device placed, by its base, against a vertical surface, with the actuation handle 5a in the "On" position upwards. By way of example, FIGS. 1 and 2 are partial left views of the interior of an apparatus according to the invention, and in FIG. 3, the right side of the sheet corresponds to the right side of the case, face 9.

We first refer to Figures 1 to 3 relating to a circuit breaker with neutral on the left.

In Figure 3, we see that the housing of this circuit breaker is formed of three parts, two left and right half-shells 10 and 11 and an intermediate part forming a central spacer 12 which will be described later.

The partial right views of Figures 1 and 2 show respectively the phase and neutral stages of the circuit breaker.

• un circuit de phase comportant d'une part une borne de raccordement 25 accessible par le petit côté 7 du boîtier, une tresse conductrice 26 reliée à une extrémité d'une bilame 27, elle-même raccordée par son autre extrémité à une tresse conductrice souple 28 reliée au contact mobile 29, ce qui constitue le sous-ensemble thermique 30, et d'autre part, un sous-ensemble magnétique 31 (qui sera décrit en détail plus loin) comportant une borne de raccordement 32, accessible par le petit côté 6 du boîtier, et un moyen de disjonction électromagnétique à bobine de disjonction 33 et culasse 34, se prolongeant par un contact fixe 35 ;
• ce dernier ainsi que la tresse 26 présentant chacun un prolongement formant des électrodes de commutation d'arc électrique, respectivement 36 et 37 ; et
• un sous-ensemble "déions" usuel 38 placé entre ces deux électrodes 36 et 37.

The phase stage includes (Figure 1):

• a phase circuit comprising on the one hand a connection terminal 25 accessible from the short side 7 of the housing, a conductive braid 26 connected to one end of a bimetallic strip 27, itself connected at its other end to a flexible conductive braid 28 connected to the movable contact 29, which constitutes the thermal sub-assembly 30, and on the other hand, a magnetic sub-assembly 31 (which will be described in detail below) comprising a connection terminal 32, accessible from the short side 6 of the housing, and an electromagnetic circuit breaker with circuit breaker 33 and cylinder head 34, extended by a fixed contact 35;
• the latter as well as the braid 26 each having an extension forming electric arc switching electrodes, respectively 36 and 37; and
• a usual "deion" sub-assembly 38 placed between these two electrodes 36 and 37.

• un circuit de neutre comportant d'une part un sous-ensemble contact mobile de neutre, sous la référence 13, incluant successivement une borne de raccordement 14, dite à cage, accessible par le petit côté 7 du boîtier, une lame conductrice 15, une tresse conductrice souple 16 et un contact mobile 17, et d'autre part un sous-ensemble contact fixe, sous la référence 18, incluant une lame pliée 19 présentant une partie formant le contact fixe proprement dit 20 et une borne de raccordement 21 accessible par le petit côté 6 du boîtier ; dans chacun de ces sous-ensembles, comme dans ceux qui vont suivre, les éléments successifs sont reliés électriquement ;
• les lames 15 et 19 présentent chacune un prolongement formant électrode de commutation électrique d'arc, respectivement 22 et 23 ;
• un sous-ensemble "déions" usuel 24 formant chambre d'extinction d'arc, constituée d'un empilement de tôles, placé entre les deux électrodes 22 et 23.

The neutral stage includes (Figure 2):

• a neutral circuit comprising on the one hand a movable neutral contact sub-assembly, under the reference 13, successively including a connection terminal 14, called a cage, accessible by the short side 7 of the housing, a conductive blade 15, a flexible conductive braid 16 and a movable contact 17, and on the other hand a fixed contact sub-assembly, under the reference 18, including a folded blade 19 having a part forming the fixed contact proper 20 and a connection terminal 21 accessible by the small side 6 of the housing; in each of these subsets, as in those which will follow, the successive elements are electrically connected;
• the blades 15 and 19 each have an extension forming an electric arc switching electrode, respectively 22 and 23;
• a usual "deion" sub-assembly 24 forming an arc extinguishing chamber, consisting of a stack of sheets, placed between the two electrodes 22 and 23.

We see that the phase and neutral terminals are, as is customary, respectively shifted in height, for polarization purposes.

The circuit breaker further comprises the aforesaid operating member 5 with its actuating handle 5a, intended to act, by means of a link 39, on a lock mechanism 40 which will be detailed below in conjunction with FIGS. 7 to 15. This mechanism 40 mainly comprises a movable contact carrier 41 with a toggle device, cooperating with the link 39 and with a pawl 42 secured to a trigger lever 43, of the lock mechanism 40, which is acted upon by the coil 33 and by bimetallic strip 27, in the latter case via a trainer 44.

In the case of a circuit breaker with neutral on the right, the general arrangement of the phase and neutral stages is the same as previously, except their place on either side of the median plane of the housing, as well as 'can be seen in Figures 4 to 6. Note in particular the identical orientation of the various components in the plane of the housing, compared to the previous embodiment.

As a result, the left and right half-shells and the spacer are specific to the chosen configuration, neutral on the left or neutral on the right. For the present case, a left half-shell 11 'is used for the phase side, a spacer 12' and a right half-shell 10 '.

We will now describe the lock mechanism 40 according to the invention, referring to FIGS. 7 to 15.

To simplify the description, we will consider, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 15, that this lock mechanism 40 generally comprises the movable contacts and the operating member 5 with its actuation handle 5a and its spring. recall 96.

The operating member has a pivot axis 45 and, laterally, an extension 46 pierced with a passage 47 parallel to said pivot axis 46 and in which one of the two end branches of the link can be articulated 39, which has a U shape. The return spring 96 has a first branch 96a secured to the operating member and a second branch 96b intended to bear against the pawl 42 to ensure rearming as will be seen below. .

The mechanism also includes the contact carrier 41 made of molded insulating material and having an upper transverse head 48 provided, opposite the operating member 5, with a bearing 49 serving to support a powerful return spring 50 of the contact carrier 41 in the open position of the contacts. Axially, the head 48 has a part 48a, connecting to the body 55 of the contact carrier 41 and having an elongated lumen 51, substantially V-shaped in cross section, the shape of which will appear better in FIGS. 11 and 12, and which receives the second end arm 39a of the link. The light 51 comprises a first part 52 which is substantially horizontal when the device is placed on its base 1 (see FIGS. 13 to 15), then, on the operating member side 5, a second part 53, descending and shorter, which characterized by an inclined thrust surface 54 cooperating with said second end arm 39a of the link 39. The assembly of the light allows the guided deflection inside thereof, of this end 39a of link, the part 52 forming a zone of exhaust.

The body 55 of the contact carrier 41 has on one side a cylindrical protuberance 56 forming a pivot (hereinafter pivot 56), which is characterized by two parts of different diameters, namely a part 57 of large diameter, side body 55, and an outer part 58, of smaller diameter. This pivot 56 is hollow and therefore has a first outer section 60 of large diameter extending by a second inner section 62, of smaller diameter.

In addition, the body 55 has laterally two arcuate shoulders 63, symmetrical to one another, one of which overhangs the part 58 of the pivot 56 and which both overhang fingers 64 also provided on each of the sides of the body 55 The upper surface of the body 55, with the same curvature as said shoulders 63, forms the transition surface between the two parts 52 and 53 of the lumen 51, with the pushing surface 54. This surface is made to allow passage and movements of the end 39a of the link.

The mechanism further comprises a molded plastic part which joins the pawl 42 and the trigger lever 43 and which has, on one of its faces and transverse to it, a cylinder trunk 65 whose light s' fits on the part 57 of the pivot 56 for pivoting mounting on the contact carrier 41. The pawl 42, formed by a protruding rim on the same side as the cylinder trunk 65, is intended to normally block the end 39a of the link 39 in the inclined part 53 of the light 51 and it can be erased in order to let escape the said rod end 39a in the part 52 of the light 51, when the magnetic disjunction means are actuated or under the influence of the bimetallic strip. The return spring 96 then allows the pawl 42 to be reset under the action of the branch 96b when, starting from the disjunction position, the lever 5a is brought back trigonometrically to the "On" position (FIG. 15).

Indeed, the trigger lever 43 has an intermediate surface 66 intended to be struck by the percussion rod or striker of the electromagnetic coil 33 and, at its end opposite to the previous one, a spout 67 mechanically connecting the bimetallic strip 27 to the lever 43 via the driver 44 (Figures 3 and 4) to ensure thermal disjunction.

The movable contacts 17 and 29, which can be neutral or phase depending on the embodiment of the circuit breaker, are identical and have, in a head 68, a main orifice 69, which is slightly oblong, intended to come on the axis pivoting mechanism, that is to say, in the embodiment described and shown (Figures 7, 9, 10), or on the part 58 of the pivot 56 for the left movable contact, or on a shaft end carried by a housing half-shell and coming to be placed in the recess 59 of the contact carrier 41, for the right movable contact. A notch in the form of a quasi-orifice 70 is also provided in the head 68 and is intended to be engaged on the finger 64 of the contact carrier 41, a finger which actually acts as an axis of articulation of the movable contact when one arrives in the contact position. It should indeed be noted that the pivoting axis of the movable contacts is different from that of the lock, for reasons considered later.

The head 68 is extended by an elongated part 72 presenting the actual electrical contact point, reference 73, and, on the side opposite the latter, a notch 74. Finally, on its edge opposite to said elongated part 72, the head has a lateral lug 71 coming from folding.

Each movable contact 17, 29 is associated with a powerful contact spring 76, with a turn, having two branches 77, 78 forming at rest a slightly obtuse angle, the branch 77 further comprising an end 79 folded at right angles to the outside. . This spring is shaped so as to normally maintain the movable contact on its axis and, in the closed position, to ensure the contact pressure on the corresponding fixed contact. The turn of the spring 76 is placed around the axis (pivot 56 or end of the shaft of the housing), while the branch 77, by its end 79, and the branch 78 engage in the notches 74 and against the lugs 71, respectively. The establishment of the spring is done under stress by bringing the two branches 77, 78 towards one another.

The parts forming the contacts being identical whatever their mounting side, it goes without saying that for one, the spring 76 will be placed on the contact carrier side 41, and for the other, outside with respect to this last, as can be seen in particular in FIGS. 7 and 9.

We now refer to Figures 13 to 15.

The actuator 5 no longer being entirely in the "Stop" position, but in an intermediate position, shown in FIG. 13, the open contact position is guaranteed by the action in direct trigonometric direction of the powerful spring 50 on the assembly constituted by the contact carrier 41, the movable contacts 17 and 29 and the pawl 42. The free end 39a of the rod 39 is then held by the pawl 42 against the inclined thrust surface 54. The action of the pawl 42 is possible because the spring 96 brings it closer to the contact carrier.

When the operating member 5 is rotated in a trigonometric direction, the end 39a of the rod 39 pushes the inclined thrust surface 54 and thus makes said assembly pivot clockwise against the action of the spring 50 until closing of the contacts, FIG. 14. The contact takes place before the extreme position of the member 5. From this moment, the head 68 of the movable contacts, hitherto in abutment on the pivot 94 via a portion of orifice 69 takes off from this stop. The contact carrier 41 continues to rotate and the movable contacts bear more strongly against the fixed contacts under the action of their contact spring 76, while the operating member 5 reaches its extreme "On" position: it is the wear stroke.

This wear stroke is in particular intended to compensate for the play which would possibly come from contact wear, and which would create contact problems, making the circuit breaker much less reliable.

The stable position guaranteed by the toggle joint constituted by the lever 5 and the link 39 tends to press the lever against its stop.

If, with the contact in the closed position (FIG. 15), the driver 44 pulls the lower end of the lever 43 in a trigonometric direction, the pivoting of the latter moves the pawl 42 which releases the end 39a of the link 39. due to the inclination of the thrust surface 54, and under the simultaneous effect of the spring 50 and the reactions of the springs 76, the end 39a of the rod escapes towards the part 52 of the light 51 and the holder contacts 41 suddenly rotates counterclockwise, which leads to the opening of the contacts. This is what occurs following a progressive overload of the protected circuit, thus causing the deformation of the bimetallic strip and consequently the displacement of the driver.

If, starting from this same closed contact position in FIG. 15, a sudden overcurrent appears, this time it is the striker of the coil 33 which strikes the surface 66 of the lever 42, and the latter switches in a trigonometric direction , which releases the pawl 42 and the link 39 as before.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 16 to 19 for the description of the magnetic sub-assembly 31 designed so as to form a rigid assembly.

The magnetic sub-assembly 31 comprises the yoke 34 obtained from a single piece cut and folded to present two flanks 80 and 81 parallel to each other and joined together by a longitudinal arm 82, the flank 81 continuing inside d a transverse half to form the fixed contact 35 (with silver contact pad, welded), then, by a parallel part and facing said arm 82, the switching electrode 37.

The magnetic part consists of the coil 33 obtained by simple winding, without subsequent folding of the protruding ends 83 and 84, a fixed core 85 engaged in an orifice 86 formed in the sidewall 81, an insulating sheath 87 extending from the fixed core protruding through an orifice 88, formed in the sidewall 80 and aligned with the previous one, as well as a core 89 movable in said insulating guide sheath 87 to drive the striker 90 which is guided in the fixed core 85, at the against a return spring.

The end 83 is welded to a tab 91 coming in one piece with the flank 81, on the side opposite the extension forming the fixed contact. The other end 84 of the coil is welded to a conductive connecting piece 92 penetrating into the corresponding connection terminal 32. The piece 92 has an inclined part to take account of the orientation of the end 84 in order to ensure a satisfactory electrical and mechanical connection. The rigid assembly thus formed is easy to set up precisely.

The sub-assembly 31 thus described corresponds to a type of configuration, neutral on the left or neutral on the right (neutral on the left in FIGS. 16 to 19). For the other type of configuration, a cylinder head, a coil and a symmetrical terminal will be used by mirror inversion of the previous ones along a vertical axis, the cores and sheath being identical.

Figure 20 offers an exploded view of the entire device, and allows you to get a good idea of the parts involved in the invention and that must be assembled as part of the process.

Reference is now made to FIG. 21 (a to v) illustrating the assembly process according to the invention, of a circuit breaker with neutral and to the left.

The mounting plate is in this case the right half-shell 11. It has a shaft end 94 intended for mounting the movable contact 29 (and its spring 76) and of the contact carrier 41, as well as a pivot 95 for the operating member 5. The mounting plate naturally includes various positioning means not shown for the other components of the device. It is the first element of the assembly in a).

• b) la première joue 93 de canalisation d'arc,
  Ensuite on met en place manuellement et dans un ordre indifférent :
• c)le sous-ensemble thermique 30 en engageant notamment le contact mobile 29, sur le bout d'arbre 94, et
• d) le sous-ensemble magnétique 31,
  Puis, à l'aide de l'automate, on met en place successivement :
• e) le ressort de contact 76, son installation étant effectuée sous contrainte,
• f) le sous-ensemble "déions" 38, entre les électrodes 36 et 37,
• g) le ressort de rappel 50
• h) le porte-contacts 41 engagé, par son évidement 59, sur le bout d'arbre 94, lequel vient en butée au fond dudit évidement 59,
• i) la seconde joue 93 de l'étage de phase,
• j) l'entretoise 12, laquelle est conçue pour isoler au plus près l'espace de phase, afin de libérer un espace suffisant pour loger l'étage de neutre.
• k) une première joue 93 pour le côté neutre,
• l) l'ensemble du cliquet 42-levier déclencheur 43, qui est monté sur le pivot 56 (partie de grand diamètre 57) du porte-contacts 41,
• m) l'organe de manoeuvre 5,
• n) la biellette 39,
• o) le ressort de rappel 96,
  Un opérateur met ensuite en place manuellement :
• p) le sous-ensemble contact fixe de neutre 18, et
• q) le sous-ensemble contact mobile de neutre 13, avec le contact mobile de neutre 17 engagé sur le pivot 56 (partie de petit diamètre 58),
     L'automate reprend le contrôle des opérations et poursuit l'assemblage par la mise en place :
• r) du ressort de contact 76 du contact mobile de neutre 17,
• s) du sous-ensemble déions 24 entre les électrodes de commutation 22 et 23,
• t) de la dernière joue 93,
• u) de l'entraineur 44, et
• v) de la demi-coque gauche 10 pour fermer l'appareil.

The automaton starts by having on this board:

• b) the first arc pipe cheek 93,
  Then we set up manually and in an indifferent order:
• c) the thermal sub-assembly 30, in particular engaging the movable contact 29, on the shaft end 94, and
• d) the magnetic sub-assembly 31,
  Then, using the automaton, we successively set up:
• e) the contact spring 76, its installation being carried out under stress,
• f) the “deions” sub-assembly 38, between the electrodes 36 and 37,
• g) return spring 50
• h) the contact carrier 41 engaged, by its recess 59, on the shaft end 94, which abuts at the bottom of said recess 59,
• i) the second play 93 of the phase stage,
• j) the spacer 12, which is designed to isolate the phase space as closely as possible, in order to free up sufficient space to house the neutral stage.
• k) a first cheek 93 for the neutral side,
• l) the whole of the pawl 42-trigger lever 43, which is mounted on the pivot 56 (large diameter part 57) of the contact carrier 41,
• m) the operating member 5,
• n) the link 39,
• o) return spring 96,
  An operator then manually sets up:
• p) the fixed neutral contact sub-assembly 18, and
• q) the movable neutral contact sub-assembly 13, with the movable neutral contact 17 engaged on the pivot 56 (small diameter portion 58),
  The automaton takes back control of operations and continues assembly by setting up:
• r) of the contact spring 76 of the movable neutral contact 17,
• s) of the deion sub-assembly 24 between the switching electrodes 22 and 23,
• t) from the last cheek 93,
• u) of coach 44, and
• v) of the left half-shell 10 to close the device.

It is understood of course that this assembly process is given simply by way of example and that the order of the steps can be modified.

Reference is now made to FIG. 22 (a to v) illustrating the assembly process according to the invention, of a neutral circuit breaker on the right.

This time the right half-shell 10 ′ is used as a mounting plate. It is the first part available to the automaton in a).

• b) la première joue de neutre 93,
  Puis, manuellement et dans un ordre indifférent, on place :
• c) le sous-ensemble contact mobile de neutre 13, et
• d) le sous-ensemble contact fixe de neutre 18,
  Ensuite, l'automate met successivement en place :
• e) le ressort de contact 76 pour le contact mobile 17 de neutre,
• f) le sous-ensemble déions 24,
• g) le ressort de rappel 50,
• h) le porte-contacts 41,
• i) la seconde joue de neutre 93
• j) l'entretoise 12',
• k) une première joue 93 côté phase,
• l) l'ensemble cliquet 42-déclencheur 43,
• m) l'organe de manoeuvre 5,
• n) la biellette 39,
• o) le ressort de rappel 96 dudit organe de manoeuvre,
  Puis, on met en place manuellement :
• p) le sous-ensemble magnétique 31,
• q) le sous-ensemble thermique 30,
  Enfin, l'automate dispose successivement :
• r) le ressort de contact 76 du contact mobile neutre 29,
• s) le sous-ensemble déions 38,
• t) la dernière joue 93,
• u) l'entraineur 44, et
• v) la demi-coque gauche 11' côté phase.

Using the same automaton, we set up:

• b) the first play of neutral 93,
  Then, manually and in an indifferent order, we place:
• c) the movable neutral contact sub-assembly 13, and
• d) the fixed neutral contact sub-assembly 18,
  Then, the automaton successively sets up:
• e) the contact spring 76 for the movable neutral contact 17,
• f) the subset of ions 24,
• g) the return spring 50,
• h) the contact carrier 41,
• i) the second neutral play 93
• j) the spacer 12 ',
• k) a first cheek 93 on the phase side,
• l) the ratchet 42-trigger 43 assembly,
• m) the operating member 5,
• n) the link 39,
• o) the return spring 96 of said operating member,
  Then, we manually set up:
• p) the magnetic sub-assembly 31,
• q) the thermal sub-assembly 30,
  Finally, the automaton successively has:
• r) the contact spring 76 of the neutral movable contact 29,
• s) the subset of ions 38,
• t) the last play 93,
• u) the coach 44, and
• v) the left half-shell 11 'on the phase side.

If necessary, in both cases, we proceed to finishing.

It is understandable that it is also possible in this version to make changes in the order of the steps of the assembly process, and, in this case, it goes without saying that the same changes must be taken into account for the '' assembly of neutral products on the left and neutral on the right in order to benefit from the duplication of the machine.

When we consider the two versions in parallel, especially in the two figures 21 and 22, we see that there are different phases in the assembly.

First, the most numerous phases concern strictly identical actions, for which the automaton performs the same operation in the two versions with neutral on the left and neutral on the right, with a strictly identical part, and at the same place of installation. in the chain.

In a second case, the machine uses a variant of a part, but at the same installation station. These small variants are not annoying in terms of automation, they are easily manageable. They concern the half-shells and the spacer.

Finally, the third scenario applies to different parts placed at different places in the assembly: the machine can more difficult manage this, hence the manual phases. It concerns the fixed neutral contact, mobile neutral, magnetic and thermal contact sub-assemblies. In one version, some appear at the beginning of the assembly and others at the end, while it is the opposite in the other version.

Such an analysis makes it possible to group the manual phases at specific places in the installation which do not depend on the version. Consequently, the automated phases are also grouped together and completely identical in most of the stages or with a variant of a part in some cases.

In FIGS. 21 and 22, the weakly variable phases with a thin line have been interspersed, and the variable phases with a thicker line.

As has already been pointed out, modifications are possible, and the process described is not immutable. Thus, for example, it is possible to automate the assembly of the fixed neutral contact, or even of the movable neutral contact, which makes the assembly of the entire neutral stage entirely automated. Likewise, it is possible to envisage automating the magnetic sub-assembly, because of its great rigidity. The problem is that of the cost of a automaton which is becoming more and more sophisticated, requiring a massive investment, and not a technical obstacle. Technically, it is even possible to automate the assembly of the thermal sub-assembly.

Claims (12)

Method of assembling a phase and neutral circuit breaker comprising, in a housing, preferably modular and intended to be fixed on a support rail, and comprising two half-shells (10, 11; 10 ', 11') and an intermediate partition or spacer (12, 12 ') separating two spaces, respectively of phase and neutral, terminals of connection of phase (25, 32) and neutral (14, 21), pairs of fixed and movable contacts phase (35, 29) and neutral (20, 17), arc breaking chambers in which are mounted stacks of sheets or "deion" subassemblies (38, 24), respectively for the phase and the neutral, a lock control mechanism (40) for manual control of the movable phase and neutral contacts between a closed position bearing on the fixed contacts and an open position remote from the latter, this lock mechanism ( 40) comprising an operating member (5) operable from outside the housing and a holder movable contacts (41) on which said operating member (5) acts, and disjunction means, in particular thermal (27) and / or magnetic (33), for releasing said lock mechanism (5) and passing the movable contacts (17, 29) from their position in contact with the fixed contacts (20, 35) to their position remote from the latter, the phase circuit being divided into two parts, on the one hand a movable contact sub-assembly (30) comprising the movable phase contact (29) and its connection with the corresponding connection terminal (25), possibly with a thermal bimetallic strip (27) interposed in this connection, and a part (36) for guiding the arc, and on the other hand a magnetic sub-assembly (31) comprising the fixed phase contact (35), the magnetic circuit breaker (33) connected to the corresponding connection terminal (32) and a part (37) for guiding the arc, while the movable (17) and fixed (20) neutral contacts are respectively part of sub-assemblies cont mobile (13) and fixed (18) acts including their connection to the corresponding terminal (14, 21) and to an arc guide part (23, 22), said neutral and phase sub-assemblies also including their terminal respective connection, characterized in that the circuit breaker is assembled along a single mounting axis from one of the two half-shells (10, 11; 10 ', 11') then forming a mounting plate and in that all the internal components of the circuit breaker in the same orientation parallel to a vertical plane perpendicular to the housing. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that, for the assembly of a circuit breaker with neutral on the left, one begins with the phase part, while for a circuit breaker with neutral on the right, one begins with the neutral part, or vice versa . Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the mobile neutral contact sub-assembly (13), the magnetic sub-assembly (31) and the mobile phase contact sub-assembly (30), as well as optionally the fixed neutral contact assembly (18), are mounted manually, the assembly of the other components of the circuit breaker common to the neutral on the left and neutral on the right versions, being carried out by the automaton ensuring the automated assembly. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the magnetic sub-assembly (31) and the fixed neutral contact sub-assembly (18) are mounted by the automatic device ensuring the automated assembly. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, applied to the assembly of a circuit breaker, the lock mechanism (40) of the toggle type, in which the operating member (5) is pushed back into the corresponding position when the contacts are opened by a return spring (96) and which comprises a link (29) one end of which is mounted eccentrically on the operating member (5), a pivoting contact carrier (41) having a ramp (54) against which can come to rest and brace the other end (39a) of the link (39), the two movable contacts (17, 29) being mounted on the pivot axis of the door -contacts (41) so as to be able to move slightly relative thereto in order to exert contact pressure on their respective fixed contacts (20, 35), a power spring (50) urging the contact carrier (41) in the opening direction and a pawl (42) pivoted on the contact carrier (41) and preventing failure appement of the rod (39) when it is braced against the contact carrier (41), the pawl (42) being associated with a trigger means (43) capable, when actuated, of causing the tilting of the pawl (42) and the release of the link (39), and possibly of driving the contact carrier (41) in the open position for forced removal of the movable contacts (17, 29), characterized in that that we put in place successively and so automatic, on the same geometric axis, a first movable contact (17 or 29), an elastic contact member (76) intended to exert the contact pressure for said first movable contact, the contact carrier (41), a piece grouping together the pawl (42) and the triggering means (43), a second movable contact (17 or 29), then a second elastic contact member (76) for the second movable contact. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that, for a neutral circuit breaker on the left, the phase half-shell (11) serving as mounting plate: the automaton places a first cheek (93) of arc channeling, phase side, - the thermal mobile contact sub-assembly (30) and the magnetic sub-assembly (31) are put in manually, in any order, - using the automaton, the elastic contact member (76) is successively put in place for the movable phase contact (29), the phase subion assembly (38), the return spring ( 50) of the contact carrier (41), the contact carrier (41), the second phase cheek (93), the spacer (12), then a cheek (93) on the neutral side, the pawl assembly (42) -triggering means (43), the operating member (5), the link (39) and the return spring (96), - the fixed neutral contact sub-assembly (18) and the mobile neutral contact sub-assembly (13) are put in manually, then, - Using the automaton, the elastic contact member (76) is successively put in place for the movable neutral contact (17), the deion sub-assembly (24), the cheek (93), the 'coach (44) and finally the neutral half-shell (10). Method according to claim 5, characterized in that, for a right-hand neutral circuit breaker, the neutral side half-shell (10 ') serving as a mounting plate: - the automaton places a first cheek (93) of arc ducting, neutral side, the mobile neutral contact sub-assembly (13) and the fixed neutral contact sub-assembly (18) are put in manually; - using the same automaton, the elastic contact member (76) is successively put in place for the movable neutral contact (17), the neutral deion sub-assembly (24), the return spring (50 ) of the contact carrier (41), the contact carrier (41), the second neutral cheek (93), the spacer (12 '), then a cheek (93) on the phase side, the pawl assembly (42) -triggering means (43), the operating member (5), the link (39), the return spring (96), - the magnetic sub-assembly (31) and the thermal sub-assembly (30) are put in manually, then, - using the automaton, the elastic contact member (76) is successively put in place for the movable phase contact (29), the phase subion assembly (38), the last cheek (93 ), the trainer (44) and the phase half-shell (11 '). Method according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that there are provided magnetic sub-assemblies (31) and fixed neutral contact (18) and mobile neutral contact sub-assemblies (13) and partially rigid phase (30), the movable contacts (17, 29) being connected to the rest of the respective sub-assemblies by a flexible connection (16, 28). Phase and neutral circuit breaker of the type comprising, in a housing, preferably modular and intended to be fixed by its base on a support rail, and comprising two half-shells (10, 11; 10 ', 11') and a spacer or spacer (12; 12 ') separating two spaces, phase and neutral respectively, phase connection terminals (25, 32) and neutral (14, 21), pairs of fixed and mobile phase contacts (35, 29) and neutral (20, 17), arc breaking chambers in which are mounted stacks of sheets or subassemblies (38, 24), respectively for the phase and the neutral, a mechanism control lock (40) for manual control of the movable phase and neutral contacts between a closed position bearing on the fixed contacts and an open position remote from the latter, this lock mechanism (40) comprising a operating member (5) provided with a handle (5a) and normally pushed back to the co position corresponding to the opening of the contacts by a return spring (96), a link (39) one end of which is mounted eccentrically on the operating member (5), a pivoting contact carrier (41) having a ramp (54) against which can come to lean and brace the other end (39a) of the link (39), the two movable contacts (17, 29) being mounted on the pivot axis of the contact carrier (41) so as to be able to pivot slightly by relative thereto for exerting contact pressure on their respective fixed contacts (20, 35), a power spring (50) urging the contact carrier (41) in the opening direction and a pawl (42) pivoted on the contact carrier (41) and preventing the escape of the rod (39) when it is braced against the contact carrier (41), the pawl (42) being associated with a trigger means (43 ) likely, when actuated, to cause the pawl (42) to tip over and release the link (39), and possibly cause the contact carrier (41) to open for forced removal of the movable contacts (17, 29), the actuation of the triggering means (43) being ensured by tripping means, in particular thermal (27) and / or magnetic (33), the phase circuit being divided into two parts, on the one hand a mobile contact sub-assembly (30) comprising the mobile phase contact (29) and its connection with the terminal corresponding connection (25), possibly with a thermal bimetallic strip (27) interposed in this connection, and a part (36) for guiding an arc, and on the other hand a magnetic sub-assembly (31) comprising the fixed phase contact (35), the magnetic circuit breaker (33) connected to the corresponding connection terminal (32) and an arc guide part (37), while the movable (17) and fixed (20) neutral contacts make part respectively of movable (13) and fixed (18) contact sub-assemblies including the connection to the corresponding terminal (14, 21) and an arc guide part (23, 22), said neutral and phase also including their respective connection terminal, characterized in that the pawl (42) and the triggering means (43) are produced és in one piece and in that the contact carrier (41), the movable contacts (17,29) and the pawl-trigger assembly are arranged so as to be able to pivot on a common geometric axis. Circuit breaker according to claim 9, characterized in that the circuit breaker housing comprises a shaft end (94) on which are placed successively a movable contact (17 or 29) and the contact carrier (41), the latter comprising moreover, opposite the end of the shaft (94), a pivot (56) of the same geometric axis as the end of the shaft (94) and on which comes place the pawl assembly (42) -triggering means (43), then the other movable contact (17 or 29). Circuit breaker according to claim 9, characterized in that the magnetic circuit breaker comprises a yoke (34) which extends into the phase stage to successively form the fixed contact (35) and the part (37) of the arc guide phase, which extends parallel and opposite said means of disjunction. Circuit breaker according to any one of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the magnetic sub-assemblies (31) and fixed neutral contact (18) are produced in the form of rigid sub-assemblies and in that the contact sub-assemblies neutral (13) and phase (30) mobiles are also produced in the form of rigid sub-assemblies, apart from the respective mobile contacts (17, 29) which are connected to them by a flexible connection (16, 28).

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