EP0782157B1 - Contact carrying slider for contactors - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a contact carrier slide suitable to be moved by the electromagnet of a contactor and consisting of an insulating body pierced with windows in each of which are housed a bridge contacts and an associated contact pressure spring.

The contactors are fitted with a contact carrier slide provided with bridges contacts establishing or breaking the current when this slide is moved by the parties moving parts of an electromagnet This slide fulfills a guiding function for the parts electromagnet mobiles to which it is connected. It presents windows in which are lodged the contact bridges which are subjected to compression springs housed themselves in the Windows.

This slide is often made in one solid piece or in two pieces joining together. This design does not easily change the bridges of contacts following either contact wear or an incident such as sticking of the contacts. Indeed the compression springs are held at their ends and it is therefore not easy to remove them.

We know a contact carrier slide in which the contact bridge is held on the slide body by a removable system. This design is complicated and it does not allow easy change of contacts.

The present invention aims to allow the interchangeability of contacts to facilitate the assembly or disassembly of these mobile contacts.

The slide according to the invention is characterized in that the body has notches extending between a window and the visible face so as to allow pressing on the upper end of the associated spring and remove the spring and the bridge of contacts.

According to one characteristic, one of the ends of each spring is fitted onto a centering pin forming an inclined face while the opposite end is fitted on a centering pin of a flange adjacent to the contact bridge.

According to one characteristic, each of the windows has projections serving as stops and cooperating with the inclination pan centering pin to ensure centering and stopping transverse of the spring.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un coulisseau porte-contacts selon l'invention;
• la figure 2 est une vue de détail du coulisseau;
• la figure 3 est une coupe de la figure 1, selon un plan parallèle à la direction de translation du coulisseau.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment given by way of example and represented by the appended drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a contact carrier slide according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a detail view of the slide;
• Figure 3 is a section of Figure 1, along a plane parallel to the direction of translation of the slide.

Referring to Figure 3, we recognize in 4 the arc housing of a contactor electromagnetic. Inside the housing (at the bottom) houses the movable armature 7 of the circuit magnetic of the electromagnet whose function is to move contact bridges 21, 22, 23 which close or not the power circuit and are equipped with contacts such as 221 and 222 which cooperate with fixed contacts of contact parts such as 51 and 52. The frame 7 is coupled to a slide 1 which carries the contact bridges 21, 22, 23. The contact parts are connected to power conductors.

The contact carrier slide 1 comprises a plastic body made up a base 11 for connecting the movable armature 7 of the electromagnet and an extension 12, 13, 14 in which are cut windows 124, 134, 144 used for mounting the bridges of contacts 21, 22, 23.

The contact bridges 21, 22, 23 are carried by columns 12, 13, 14 sparing between them slots through which partitions of the bow casing pass are used to isolate the arc chambers. Windows 124, 134, 144 are respectively housed in columns 12, 13, 14.

The slide allows the coupling of the control member of an additive such as a block auxiliary contacts or a pneumatic timer (not shown) thanks to a claw 15 molded at the end of the central column 13.

Each contact bridge 21 or 22 or 23 rests, in the open position of the contacts, on a bearing face such as 136 of the window. On each contact bridge 21, 22, 23 supports a spring 31, 32, 33 being housed in the windows and bearing on the bearing face of the window such as 133 which is opposite the bearing face adjacent to the contact bridge. The springs bear on support plates 61, 62, 63 which are in contact with the contact bridges.

The contact bridges 21, 22, 23 and the flanges 61, 62, 63 are guided in translation along a plane X-X '. Two lateral slides such as 135 are provided on the sides of windows parallel to X-X '. On each contact bridge there are two lateral guide notches which slide on two lateral slides, 135 for example. Of even the support soles are provided with notches which slide on the same slides. The contact bridges and the support flanges thus remain centered. The means of guidance and centering which have just been described authorize the contact bridges to take a travel angular with respect to the normal position (i.e. perpendicular to the plane XX ') and able to slide into their respective windows.

The slide body is cut by notches 121, 131, 141 extending each between a window and the visible face 127, 137, 147 of the slide. Each spring is flush in a notch 121 or 131 or 141 which allows an operator to press, for via a tool 8, on the spring end turn In FIG. 1, a single spring 31 is shown in broken lines to simplify the drawing.

The frame of each window has, on each side and on the side of the high edge, projections or stops 122, 132, 142 the function of which is to prevent release of the spring outside the window.

Each of the springs is at one of its ends engaged on a centering pin protruding on a sole 61, 62, 63 and at its other end engaged on a centering pin such as 133 projecting into the window, facing side. This last centering pin 133 forms an inclined face whose height decreases in the direction from the projections 122, 132, 142 at the side opposite.

The claw 15 allows the disassembly tool 8 to pass (FIG. 3).

Operation at the time of disassembly of the springs and contact bridges will now be explained.

In normal operation, the upper end of the spring associated with each bridge of contacts is centered by the associated pin such as 133. This spring end cannot slip on the inclined face because of the projections 122 or 132 or 142 which act as stops.

To dismantle a spring and the associated contact bridge, for example 31 and 22 (Figure 3), the operator presses with the tool 8 (screwdriver) on the upper part of this spring here 31. The upper end of this spring emerges from the centering pin 133 and slides on the pan inclined until it comes to occupy a cleared position which is marked B in FIG.

To mount a spring and the associated contact bridge, for example 31 and 22 (FIG. 3), it suffices to introduce the contact bridge 21 provided with a sole 62 in the associated side rails such as 135, rotating slightly. Spring 31 resting on the sole can then slide easily on the slope of the pin 133 to position in its housing, between the pin 133 and the two stops 132 without risk of being badly mounted. The slope of the pin 133 avoids having to compress the spring before introducing it into its housing, thus limiting its buckling deformation, as is the case on certain devices current. A noise indicates at the end of assembly that the assembly is well positioned.

Claims (3)

1. A contact-unit slide suitable to be moved by a contactor's electromagnet and consisting of an insulating body (1) in which windows (124, 134, 144) are drilled and housing in each of these windows a contact bridge (21, 31, 41) and a contact compression spring (31, 32, 33), which is supported on the side of the window opposite the surface adjacent to the contact bridge, characterized in that this body (1) has slots (121, 131, 141), each extending between a window (124, 134, 144) and the visible side (127, 137, 147) of the slide to provide support on the upper end of the spring (31, 32, 33) and serving in the removal of the spring and the contact bridge.
2. A contact-unit slide, in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that one of the ends of each spring (31, 32, 33) is fitted on a centering pin (133) forming a tilted section, while the other end is fitted on a centering pin of a base plate (61, 62, 63) adjacent to the contact bridge.
3. A contact-unit slide, in accordance with either of the previous claims, characterized in that each of the windows (124, 134, 144) has flanges (122, 134, 144) which serve as stops and co-operate with the centering pin (133) at a tilted section to ensure the centering and stopping of the spring transversally.

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