EP0703589B1 - Electric apparatus, in particular switch for row or column mounting - Google Patents

Abstract

The switch mechanism is mounted in a box (20) and is operated by an on/off switch outside the mechanism. The on/off switch connects with protrusions on a bistable rocker circular section (25). The circular section has a hole for a connecting rod, which connects the circular section mechanically to an internal closing lever (24) hinged at one end. When the circular section rotates, the connecting rod closes the internal lever onto an electrical connector (23) closing the connection.

Description

The present invention relates to electrical equipment, in particular a switch, for plinth or column mounting, comprising a box of parallelepiped shape, a manual control member mounted on the front of the housing and a mechanism closing and opening of an electrical circuit coupled to said manual control member and housed inside said housing, said manual control member being able to be mounted on the housing in a first and in a second position,

We already know many devices of this type, which are intended to be mounted on ducts containing the cables of an electrical circuit and which are fixed either horizontally either vertically on a wall. These devices usually have a drawback which is not to be able to be mounted either in plinth or in column. So that the manual control member can be actuated in the same direction by the user, it you need either two series of specific devices, those of one of the series being to be mounted on the plinth and those of the other series being to be mounted in a column, either of equipment including the mechanism can be reversed inside the case, depending on whether they are mounted on the plinth or in column.

US-A-4,682,830 describes a switch terminal for a portable power tool electric. The metal body of the switch has a cylindrical shape allowing a angular orientation of the terminal by rotation of the whole body.

The present invention proposes to overcome this drawback by providing solutions allowing plinth or column mounting of electrical equipment, and in particular switches, without it being necessary to access the inside of the case to reverse the mechanism, and retaining the positioning of the connection terminals.

• les deux positions sont décalées de 90°, pour que ledit organe de commande manuelle soit actionné dans le même sens par l'utilisateur, indifféremment placé dans ladite première ou ladite seconde position,
• ledit organe de commande manuelle est une manette basculante,
• ledit mécanisme de fermeture et d'ouverture du circuit électrique comporte une bascule bistable formée par une pièce en forme de gouttière pourvue de deux cornes disposées en opposition et agencées pour coopérer respectivement avec deux surfaces d'appui de ladite manette basculante formant un dièdre.

This object is achieved by electrical equipment as defined in the preamble US-A-4,682,830 and characterized in that:

• the two positions are offset by 90 °, so that said manual control member is actuated in the same direction by the user, indifferently placed in said first or said second position,
• said manual control member is a tilting lever,
• said closing and opening mechanism of the electrical circuit comprises a bistable rocker formed by a gutter-shaped part provided with two horns arranged in opposition and arranged to cooperate respectively with two bearing surfaces of said tilting lever forming a dihedron.

la figure 1 représente une vue en perspective d'un ensemble d'appareillages électriques dont les boítiers juxtaposés sont montés en plinthe,

la figure 2 est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 1, les boítiers juxtaposés étant montés en colonne,

les figures 3A, 3B et 4A, 4B sont des vues schématiques en perspective illustrant les positions ouvertes et fermées d'un interrupteur du type à manette basculante, respectivement monté en plinthe et en colonne,

The present invention will be better understood with reference to the description of embodiments given by way of nonlimiting examples and to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a set of electrical apparatuses, the juxtaposed boxes are mounted in plinth,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, the juxtaposed boxes being mounted in a column,

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 4A, 4B are schematic perspective views illustrating the open and closed positions of a switch of the rocker handle type, respectively mounted in plinth and in column,

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view illustrating a set of apparatus according to the invention, mounted on the plinth. This is in particular a first type of switch 10 mounted in a narrow housing 10a, of a second type of switch 11 mounted in one half of a wide housing 11a, the width of which is substantially double that of the housing 10a, of a third type of switch 12 mounted centrally in a large housing 12a, substantially identical to the housing 11a and a junction box 13 or a block of protection, or similar, consisting of a housing 13a having the shape and dimensions substantially equal to those of the large housings 11a and 12a. All the boxes of switchgear has a parallelepiped shape.

FIG. 2 represents a perspective view illustrating the same apparatuses as those of Figure 1, but mounted in a column. The same devices have the same numbers reference.

It will be noted in particular that in the two mounting modes, the control members switches are operated in the same way, i.e. they are identically positioned. In the example illustrated, these members are levers tilting.

This principle remains the same regardless of the type of control elements used, in particular when the levers are constituted by a button or a rotary lever around an axis secured to the control mechanism mounted inside the housing, by a slider, or by a multidirectional actuator or the like.

Various embodiments are shown in the following figures. Figures 3A, 3B and 4A, 4B represent perspective views illustrating the open and closed positions of a switch of the type with tilting handle respectively mounted in plinth and in column. This switch comprises a housing 20 shown in broken lines, a mechanism 21 housed inside this case and a tilting handle 22 mounted on the case and arranged to control the opening and closing mechanism of two contacts 23 and 24 including one 23 is fixed and integral with the housing and the other 24 is mobile and linked to the mechanism. This the latter is composed of a bistable rocker 25 and a connecting rod 26 which couples the scale 25 in movable contact 24. The scale is a gutter-shaped part whose upper edges are equipped with two horns 27 and 28, arranged in opposition and the function is to cooperate with the tilting lever to move the rocker from a first position illustrated by FIGS. 3A and 4A where the contacts are open, in a second position illustrated in FIGS. 3B and 4B where the contacts are closed. For this purpose, the joystick tilting has two lower bearing surfaces, forming a dihedral. Each of horns 27, 28 cooperate with one of said bearing surfaces.

Note that for column mounting, the position of the tilting lever 22 is offset 90 ° from its position for plinth mounting. This reversal can be made directly by the installer, the other components of the switch remaining by otherwise identical, in particular the positioning of the connection terminals. This construction avoids the realization of two types of products and the obligation to the installer to manage a stock of two series of devices, one of the series being intended for plinth mounting and the other series being for column mounting.

As these figures show, the movable contact 24 is articulated on a fixed axis 29, shown schematically. It is also connected electrically to a terminal 30 by a metal braid 31. The fixed contact 23 is electrically connected to a terminal 32 by a metal braid 33. Finally, the rocker 25 is housed in a cradle (not shown) molded inside the housing 20, this cradle serving as a support seat in its two stable positions and in the intermediate positions it occupies from one to the other of said stable positions.

Figures 5A, 5B and 6A, 6B show perspective views illustrating the positions open and closed of a rotary switch type switch respectively mounted in plinth and column. As before, this switch has a housing 40 shown in broken lines, a mechanism 41 housed inside this case and a rotary or orientable lever 42 mounted on the housing and arranged to control said mechanism. The latter is designed to ensure the opening and closing of two contacts 43 and 44, one of which 43 is fixed and integral with the housing and the other of which 44 is movable and linked to mechanism. This mechanism is in this case composed of a pinion or a sector at least partially toothed 45 which is coupled to said lever by means of a section rod 46 square engaged in a central recess of the same shape, formed in said pinion. This pinion 45 meshes with another at least partially toothed pinion or sector 47 which is coupled by means of a link 48 to one end 49 of the movable contact 44. This contact mobile is articulated on a fixed axis 50 shown schematically and which is mounted rigidly inside the case. The movable contact 44 is electrically connected by a metal braid 51 to a connection terminal 52, and the fixed contact 43 is electrically connected by a metallic braid 53 to a connection terminal 54.

When the handle 42 is in the position shown in FIG. 5A, the contacts 43 and 44 are closed. When the lever is turned from this first position to its position shown in Figure 5B, the toothed pinion 45 is rotated, as well as the pinion 47, which has the effect of tilting the movable contact 44 to bring it into its position opened.

Note that for column mounting as shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the position of the handle 42 is offset by 90 ° relative to that which it occupies for a plinth mounting for opening or closing states of identical contacts. In in other words, for the user, the direction in which he must operate the joystick to switching on or off the switch is the same regardless of the type of mounting plinth or column.

Figures 7A, 7B and 8A, 8B show perspective views illustrating the positions open and closed of a switch of the multidirectional actuating member type, mounted in plinth and column respectively.

This switch comprises a housing 60 shown in broken lines, a mechanism 61 housed inside this box and a control lever of the actuator type multidirectional 62 mounted on the housing and arranged to control said mechanism. This the latter is intended to ensure the opening and closing of two contacts 63 and 64, one of which 63 is fixed and integral with the housing and the other 64 of which is movable and linked to the mechanism. This mechanism consists in this case in a very simple way of a double link angled 65 in the form of a crank, one end of which is integral with the lever and mounted in its extension, and the other end of which is linked to one end 66 of the contact mobile 64. This mobile contact is articulated around a fixed axis 67, shown schematically and integral with the housing. As before, the fixed contact 63 is electrically connected to a connection terminal 68 by a metal braid 69 and the movable contact 64 is electrically connected to a connection terminal 70 by a metallic braid 71.

The actuation of the lever in one direction or the other causes the pivoting of the connecting rod 65 and the opening or closing of the contacts or, more precisely, the tilting of the movable contact 64 around its axis of rotation 67.

In this embodiment, as in the previous ones, the position of the lever is offset by 90 ° depending on whether the switch is mounted on a plinth or in a column, so that the user finds in both cases identical directions of actuation causing same effects.

Claims (2)

1. An electrical switchgear apparatus, in particular a switch, for fitting in a horizontal row or in a column, comprising a case of parallelepipedic shape, a manual operating device mounted on the front panel of the case and a mechanism for opening and closing an electrical circuit coupled to said manual operating device and housed inside said case, said manual operating device being able to be fitted on the case (20) in a first and in a second position,
   characterized in that:

   the two positions are offset 90° for said manual operating device to be actuated in the same direction by the user, whether it be placed in said first or in said second position,

   said manual operating device is a rocking handle (22),

   said mechanism (21) for closing and opening the electrical circuit comprises a bistable rocker (25) formed by a part in the form of a trough provided with two horns (27, 28) disposed in opposition and arranged to cooperate respectively with two bearing surfaces of said rocking handle forming a dihedron.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said bistable rocker (25) is coupled to a movable contact (24) by a connecting rod (26).

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