EP0575216B1 - Locking device with shutter for circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a shutter locking device for an electromechanical circuit breaker.

For obvious safety reasons, it is desirable to be able to lock the button (s) for manual control of an electromechanical circuit breaker in its position which corresponds to the opening of the contacts. Such a locking device using a plastron with a folding flap is described in patent FR-2 596 914. On the other hand, the risk of soldering of the contacts in a circuit breaker cannot be completely eliminated. When the contacts remain soldered, the usual locking devices risk authorizing the locking of the circuit breaker, by forcing or deformation of the parts requested, and creating a dangerous situation.

It has been noted that, in certain circuit breakers, the manual control button can take, in addition to its normal on and off positions, an intermediate position corresponding to the welded state of the contacts. This intermediate position is due to the characteristics of the trigger mechanism interposed between the button and the contacts.

The invention aims to take advantage of this intermediate fault position of the manual control button to enhance the security provided by the locking device.

It also aims to keep a simple, practical and space-saving character to the locking device.

The invention relates to a locking device for a circuit breaker comprising in a housing separable contacts, the contacts which can be actuated by a manual control button accessible at the front of the housing and capable of assuming a running position and a normal position. stop; the device comprises a flap which is located in front of the housing which can be folded down towards a safety position preventing the engagement of the button and which can be maintained in this position by at least a padlock or the like.

• un palpeur associé au volet pivotant et apte à détecter une position intermédiaire anormale du bouton,
• un organe coulissant associé au volet et blocable par le palpeur pour la position intermédiaire du bouton afin d'empêcher le cadenassage du volet.

According to the invention, the locking device is characterized by:

• a probe associated with the pivoting flap and capable of detecting an abnormal intermediate position of the button,
• a sliding member associated with the shutter and lockable by the feeler for the intermediate position of the button in order to prevent padlocking of the shutter.

Preferably, the lockable sliding member comprises the pivoting flap and means are provided for sliding the flap relative to a fixed frame of the device. As a variant, the lockable sliding member comprises a slide carried and guided by the flap, the slide and the flap having openings appropriate padlock passage, these openings can not be compared when the slide is blocked by the probe. The slide may have retaining or hooking elements on a fixed frame; these elements cooperate with complementary elements of the chassis so that, when the slider is not blocked by the probe, they maintain the slider and its supporting flap and that when in a button inhibition position the slider is blocked by the probe, a spring recalls the shutter-slide assembly in a release position of the button.

• La figure 1 montre en coupe partielle une vue de côté d'un disjoncteur disposé dans un coffret.
• La figure 2 montre en vue de face une partie du disjoncteur équipé d'un premier mode de réalisation du dispositif de verrouillage, avec le plastron de cadenassage en position inactive.
• Les figures 3 et 4 représentent en vue de côté le plastron de cadenassage rabattu lorsque les contacts du disjoncteur sont ouverts et respectivement soudés.
• Les figures 5 et 6 sont les vues de face selon la flèche A du plastron des figures 3 et 4 montrant schématiquement la position du volet et du coulisseau comportant le plastron.
• La figure 7 est une vue en perspective éclatée du plastron.
• Les figures 8 et 9 montrent en vue de côté un deuxième mode de réalisation du disjoncteur dans son coffret avec le volet respectivement en position de repos et en position de verrouillage.
• Les figures 10 à 12 représentent en vue de face le coffret, le volet étant respectivement en position de repos, en position rabattue et en position de cadenassage.
• La figure 13 est une vue à plus grande échelle du sous-ensemble châssis-volet de la figure 9.
• La figure 14 illustre un détail d'une variante de volet pivotant-coulissant.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description given below with reference to the figures.

• Figure 1 shows in partial section a side view of a circuit breaker arranged in a box.
• Figure 2 shows in front view a part of the circuit breaker equipped with a first embodiment of the locking device, with the padlocking padlock in the inactive position.
• Figures 3 and 4 show a side view of the lockout folded down when the circuit breaker contacts are open and respectively welded.
• Figures 5 and 6 are the front views along arrow A of the front plate of Figures 3 and 4 schematically showing the position of the flap and the slide comprising the front plate.
• Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the faceplate.
• Figures 8 and 9 show a side view of a second embodiment of the circuit breaker in its box with the flap respectively in the rest position and in the locked position.
• Figures 10 to 12 show a front view of the cabinet, the flap being respectively in the position of rest, in the folded position and in the lockout position.
• FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the chassis-shutter sub-assembly of FIG. 9.
• FIG. 14 illustrates a detail of a variant of the pivoting-sliding shutter.

The circuit breaker partially illustrated in FIG. 1 is a motor protection circuit breaker which comprises, in a housing 10, separable contacts which can be controlled manually by a start button 11 and a stop button 12. The circuit breaker is housed in a box 13 so that the buttons are normally accessible on the front face 14 of the box through a window 15 of the box. In the housing are further arranged triggers 16 sensitive to electrical faults and a reset mechanism capable of opening and closing the contacts 18 depending on the state of the triggers and the position of the buttons.

When the circuit breaker contacts are open, the stop button 12 occupies an erased position 12A visible in FIG. 3 and in dashed lines in FIG. 1. When the contacts are closed, the stop button occupies an output position 12B visible in solid lines in FIG. 1. It may happen that, despite an opening order communicated to the contacts by the mechanism, the contacts are welded and remain closed; the mechanism 17 translates this defect by imposing on the button an intermediate position 12C visible in FIG. 4 and in dashes in FIG. 1. The positions 12B, 12C of the button are therefore characterized by a more or less significant projection of the button from the front face 14 of the housing.

At the front of the box 13 is fixed by any usual means a locking device constituted by a padlockable faceplate 20. As seen in FIG. 7, the faceplate comprises a fixed frame 30 attached to the box, as well as a pivoting flap 40, carrying a probe 50 and a safety slide 60.

The frame 30 includes a frame 31 which surrounds the window 15 and bearings 32 which serve to house the pivots 41 of the pivoting flap 40. The pivoting of the flap 40 takes place around a horizontal axis X between a raised position (FIG. 2 ) where the shutter releases the window 15 and a folded position (Figures 3 and 4) where the shutter hides the window 15 at least in its parts corresponding to the buttons 11,12. Lugs 33 of the chassis maintain the flap in the folded position under conditions which will be described below, while a return spring 34 biases the flap towards its raised position.

The flap 40 is generally planar and has a protruding pocket 42 housing the probe 50, as well as guide elements 43, 44 and abutment for the slide 60. Three openings 45 for the passage of padlocks are formed in a wing. 46 of the flap perpendicular to its flat part.

The feeler 50 comprises a feeler element formed by a pusher 51 guided in translation in the pocket 42 and subject to a compression spring 52. The translation position of the pusher is obviously a function of the position and the direction of movement of the button 12. The pusher 51 has a wide zone 53 for blocking the slider 60, a narrow zone 54 allowing the displacement of the slider and a shoulder 55 which ensures its abutment against the slider under the effect of the spring 52.

The safety slider 60 is generally planar and includes slots 61 cooperating with the guide elements 43 provided on the flap 40, as well as a window 62 allowing assembly with the flap 40. The window 62 has in particular a zone 63 the width of which is intermediate between that of the narrow part 54 and that of the wide part 53 of the pusher.

Three passage openings 65 for padlocks are provided in a wing 66 of the slide perpendicular to its flat part. The wing 66 is parallel and adjoining the wing 46 of the flap. Fingers 67 or other hooking elements are provided on the slide to engage under the lugs 33 of the fixed frame, in order to maintain the shutter-slide assembly in the safety position illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5.

The faceplate described operates in the following manner. When the operator wants to padlock the device, he rotates the flap 40 carrying the slider 60 to the folded position (Figure 6), then tries to slide the slider against the flap according to arrow F (Figures 2 and 6). It is assumed that the button 12 has previously been put in the stop position; if this is not the case, the pusher 51 presses the button and puts it in the stop position, the force of the spring 52 being chosen to be greater than the resistant force of the button.

If the contacts are then open, as is normal, the narrow part 54 of the probe is at the level of the plane of the slide and the latter can therefore come to the safety position of FIG. 5; the openings 45 and 65 coincide and make it possible to engage the padlocks 68 to lock the circuit breaker. The operator can no longer operate the buttons which are hidden by the shutter-slider assembly. If the contacts remain welded, as a result of an incident, the wide part 53 of the pusher 51 remains at the level of the plane of the slide and therefore obstructs its passage. The fingers 67 cannot engage under the lugs 33, so that on the one hand the openings 65 cannot come opposite the openings 45 and that, on the other hand, the shutter-slide assembly is recalled by the spring 34 in its raised position (in dashes in FIG. 3). It will be noted that, during operation, the probe remains inaccessible and the force exerted on the faulty button remains limited to that provided by the spring of the probe.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 8 to 13, the flap is pivotally mounted about an axis X and sliding perpendicular to this axis, so that there is no longer any need to use a specific slide. The shutter 70 is mounted on a frame 30 so as to pivot about a horizontal axis located below the window 15 and this by means of pivots 71 each provided with a flat 71a.

The chassis 30 comprises lugs 35 projecting perpendicularly to the front plane of the box 13; the lugs 35 each comprise an opening 36, with a function similar to that of the openings 45 previously described, for receiving respective padlocks 68. The flap 70 is returned to its low rest position (FIGS. 8 and 10) by a tension spring 37 The pivots 71 of the shutter 70 are arranged so as to be able to slide in slides formed by vertical lateral grooves 38 formed in ribs 39 in front of the chassis 30. The shutter 70 is able to pivot and slide while tensioning the spring 37.

The shutter 70 has a fixed feeler 80 provided with a ramp 81 for cooperating with the stop button 12 of the circuit breaker. The probe 80 could also be movable and include an associated spring determining the pressure force exerted on the button 12. On the side opposite to the probe, the flap 70 carries tabs 72 provided with openings 73 for passage for the padlocks.

To padlock the device, the operator successively rotates the flap 70 in the direction of arrow G to bring it from the rest position of Figures 8 and 10 to the folded position or cover position of Figure 11, position in which the padlocks can not yet be mounted. The flats 71a of the pivots 71 thus pass from a biased position which prevented the sliding of the flap (see in dashes in FIG. 13) to a vertical position which allows this sliding. Then it goes up the shutter according to arrow H to slide the flats 71a to their high stop position in the grooves 38 (Figures 9 and 12), position in which the openings 36 and 73 coincide. If the contacts are open, the probe does not encounter any obstacle during its sliding. If the contacts are welded (position 12C of the button 12 illustrated in dashes in FIG. 8), the probe abuts on the button and prevents the flap from coming into the lockout position of FIGS. 9 and 12. It is observed that, in the positions Figures 11 and 12, the flap is applied in abutment on surfaces 74 of the frame and that, to pass from the position of Figure 11 to that of Figure 12, the flap must engage under a heel - or more heels holding - 75 and this by a wall element 76; this forces the shutter to a precise positioning and to a movement strictly parallel to itself and accentuates the inviolability of the device by preventing forcing of the rotating button.

In a variant of this embodiment, the pivoting flap can slide parallel to its axis of rotation; a torsion spring with non-contiguous turns then ensures the return of the flap to its rest position by translation then rotation. The welding of the contacts is then carried out by cooperation of the probe with a lateral face of the control button. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the flat pivots 77 of the shutter can pivot (arrow G) and slide (arrow H) in cylindrical holes 78 of the bearings 79 of the chassis, while the guide of the shutter in elements of shape, for example grooves 80 of the bearings, prevent pivoting during sliding and sliding during pivoting.

The flap can pivot around another axis parallel to the front face of the housing, in particular a vertical axis. A lever can be associated with the probe to amplify its movement. The circuit breaker can have a single manual control button and the probe can move parallel to the front face of the box. The term chassis must be understood broadly; the chassis is removably attached to the cabinet or can be constituted by an irremovable part of the cabinet.

Claims (8)

1. Circuit-breaker locking device comprising a module (10) containing separable contacts (18) adapted to be actuated by a manual actuator button (12) accessible from the front of the module and able to assume an on position and a normal off position, the device comprising a pivoting flap (40) disposed in front of the module (10) which can be moved into a safety position preventing actuation of the button (12)) and which can be held in this position by at least one padlock (68) or like device,
   characterised in that:

   - a feeler (50; 80) carried by the pivoting flap (40; 70) is adapted to detect during pivoting an abnormal intermediate position of the button (12),

   - a sliding member (60; 70) associated with the flap is immobilisable by the feeler for an intermediate position of the button in order to prevent padlocking of the flap.
2. Device according to claim 1 characterised in that it comprises a fixed chassis (30) and in that the immobilisable sliding member comprises the pivoting flap (70), means (38) being provided on the chassis to enable sliding of the flap.
3. Device according to claim 2 characterised in that the pivots (71, 77) of the flap cooperate with slideways (38, 78) which are part of the chassis and are parallel to the front surface (14) of the module.
4. Device according to claim 2 characterised in that the flap (70) is engaged during sliding under at least one retaining lug (75) which is part of the chassis.
5. Device according to claim 1 characterised in that it comprises a fixed chassis (30) and in that the immobilisable sliding member comprises a slider (60) carried and guided by the flap (40), the slider (60) having members (67) for securing it to the chassis by which it cannot be secured to the chassis when the slider is immobilised by the feeler (50).
6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterised in that the immobilisable sliding member (60; 70) and the chassis (30) have padlock holes (65, 45; 73, 36) which cannot be aligned if the sliding member is immobilised by the feeler (50; 80).
7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 characterised in that a spring urges the flap (40; 70) to a position releasing the button (12).
8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterised in that the feeler (50) comprises a plunger (51) spring-loaded by a spring (52) determining the force applicable to the actuator button (12).

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