EP0865061A2 - Improvements in and relating to circuit breakers - Google Patents

Improvements in and relating to circuit breakers Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0865061A2
EP0865061A2 EP98410026A EP98410026A EP0865061A2 EP 0865061 A2 EP0865061 A2 EP 0865061A2 EP 98410026 A EP98410026 A EP 98410026A EP 98410026 A EP98410026 A EP 98410026A EP 0865061 A2 EP0865061 A2 EP 0865061A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
circuit breaker
adapter
upwardly
downwardly
body portion
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP98410026A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0865061A3 (en
EP0865061B1 (en
Inventor
Keith Wray Ball
Andrew Purdie Baker
Anthony Robert Cole
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Original Assignee
Schneider Electric SE
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Schneider Electric SE filed Critical Schneider Electric SE
Publication of EP0865061A2 publication Critical patent/EP0865061A2/en
Publication of EP0865061A3 publication Critical patent/EP0865061A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0865061B1 publication Critical patent/EP0865061B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H71/00—Details of the protective switches or relays covered by groups H01H73/00 - H01H83/00
    • H01H71/08—Terminals; Connections
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H11/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches
    • H01H11/0006—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches for converting electric switches
    • H01H11/0031—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches for converting electric switches for allowing different types or orientation of connections to contacts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H9/00—Details of switching devices, not covered by groups H01H1/00 - H01H7/00
    • H01H9/02—Bases, casings, or covers
    • H01H9/0264—Protective covers for terminals

Definitions

  • the invention relates to circuit breakers and to adapters for circuit breakers, more particularly, although not exclusively, to miniature circuit breakers (m.c.b's).
  • Standard m.c.b's at the present have screw terminals for both the incoming and outgoing electrical connections.
  • load centres and consumer units for example as disclosed in European Patent no. 0,325,370, have provisions for m.c.b's to plug onto bus bars to provide the incoming electrical connection thereto.
  • United Kingdom patent application no. 2301940A discloses a simple and inexpensive adapter for converting standard m.c.b'.s for plug on or plug in usage.
  • an adapter for a circuit breaker which comprises an electrically conductive member formed to be attachable to a circuit breaker, having a portion to be clamped and electrically connectable within a cable entry of the circuit breaker, a downwardly dependable connector portion and an upwardly dependable support portion for engagement with the circuit breaker casing, in use.
  • the adapter is formed from a blank of electrically conductive material.
  • the blank may comprise generally sheet-form member having a central body portion with an upwardly depending portion which is bent upwardly to lie in a plane normal to the plane of the body portion to form said clampable portion and a pair of wing portions extending upwardly and downwardly from opposed sides of the body portion and bent downwardly to lie coplanar in planes normal to the plane of the body portion, the downwardly extending wing portion being further arcuately bent to form clip connector portions and the upwardly extending wing portions forming said support portion.
  • the upward extremities of the upwardly extending wing portions may each be formed with a nose portion for engagement with the circuit breaker casing, in use.
  • the adapter may be provided in combination with an electrically insulative cover member engagable with the opposed sides of the circuit breaker to cover the adapter and cable entry at the edge of the circuit breaker, in use from.
  • the blank 10 comprises a generally sheet - form member with a central body portion 11, an upwardly extending portion 12 and two wing portions 13 extending upwardly and downwardly from opposed sides of the body portion 11.
  • portion 12 of the blank is bent upwardly from body portion 11 to lie in a plane normal to the plane of body portion 11.
  • the two wing portions 13 are bent downwardly from body portion 11 to lie in coplanar relationship normal to the plane of body portion 11.
  • the upper arms 13a of wing 13 are each formed with a nose portion 13b extending in the direction of portion 12.
  • the lower leg portions 13c of wings 13 are bent in arcuate fashion adjacent extremities 13d to provide plug on contacts.
  • FIG.5 of the drawing there is shown an exploded perspective view of an m.c.b. 14, an adapter and an electrically insulative cover 15.
  • the adapter is located with portion 12 inserted into the cable entry of m.c.b. 14 with arms 13a and nose portion 13b abutting the edge of m.c.b. 14 and legs portions 13c depending downwardly therefrom.
  • the cover 15 is located over the edge of m.c.b. 14 to cover the adapter and cable entry.
  • the provision of the arm and nose portions 13a, 13b provide a more rigid connection of the adapter to an m.c.b. and formation of the adapter from a blank provides a simple and inexpensive form of manufacture.

Landscapes

  • Breakers (AREA)
  • Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to circuit breakers and to adapters for circuit breakers, more particularly, although not exclusively, to miniature circuit breakers.
This adapter comprises an electrically conductive member formed to be attachable to a circuit breaker, having a portion (12) to be clamped and electrically connectable within a cable entry of the circuit breaker, a downwardly dependable connection portion (13a), and an upwardly dependable support portion (13a, 13b) for engagement with the circuit breaker casing, in use.

Description

The invention relates to circuit breakers and to adapters for circuit breakers, more particularly, although not exclusively, to miniature circuit breakers (m.c.b's).
Standard m.c.b's at the present have screw terminals for both the incoming and outgoing electrical connections. However, load centres and consumer units, for example as disclosed in European Patent no. 0,325,370, have provisions for m.c.b's to plug onto bus bars to provide the incoming electrical connection thereto.
United Kingdom patent application no. 2301940A discloses a simple and inexpensive adapter for converting standard m.c.b'.s for plug on or plug in usage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide such an adapter which has an improved location and support arrangement and is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
According to the invention there is provided an adapter for a circuit breaker which comprises an electrically conductive member formed to be attachable to a circuit breaker, having a portion to be clamped and electrically connectable within a cable entry of the circuit breaker, a downwardly dependable connector portion and an upwardly dependable support portion for engagement with the circuit breaker casing, in use.
Preferably the adapter is formed from a blank of electrically conductive material. The blank may comprise generally sheet-form member having a central body portion with an upwardly depending portion which is bent upwardly to lie in a plane normal to the plane of the body portion to form said clampable portion and a pair of wing portions extending upwardly and downwardly from opposed sides of the body portion and bent downwardly to lie coplanar in planes normal to the plane of the body portion, the downwardly extending wing portion being further arcuately bent to form clip connector portions and the upwardly extending wing portions forming said support portion.
The upward extremities of the upwardly extending wing portions may each be formed with a nose portion for engagement with the circuit breaker casing, in use.
The adapter may be provided in combination with an electrically insulative cover member engagable with the opposed sides of the circuit breaker to cover the adapter and cable entry at the edge of the circuit breaker, in use from.
The foregoing and further features of the invention may be more readily understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, by way example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-
  • Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a blank for forming an adapter;
  • Fig.2 shows a front elevational view of an adapter formed from the blank of Fig.1;
  • Fig.3 shows a side elevational view of the adapter of Fig.2;
  • Fig.4 shows a plan view of the adapter of Figs 2 and 3, and
  • Fig.5 is an exploded perspective view of an adapter of Figs 1 to 4 on reduced scale for attachment to a circuit breaker.
    • Referring now to Fig.1 of the drawing there is shown a blank 10 for a circuit breaker adapter. The blank 10 comprises a generally sheet - form member with a central body portion 11, an upwardly extending portion 12 and two wing portions 13 extending upwardly and downwardly from opposed sides of the body portion 11.
    Referring now also to Figs 2,3 and 4 of the drawings portion 12 of the blank is bent upwardly from body portion 11 to lie in a plane normal to the plane of body portion 11.
    The two wing portions 13 are bent downwardly from body portion 11 to lie in coplanar relationship normal to the plane of body portion 11. The upper arms 13a of wing 13 are each formed with a nose portion 13b extending in the direction of portion 12.
    The lower leg portions 13c of wings 13 are bent in arcuate fashion adjacent extremities 13d to provide plug on contacts.
    Referring now to Fig.5 of the drawing there is shown an exploded perspective view of an m.c.b. 14, an adapter and an electrically insulative cover 15. The adapter is located with portion 12 inserted into the cable entry of m.c.b. 14 with arms 13a and nose portion 13b abutting the edge of m.c.b. 14 and legs portions 13c depending downwardly therefrom. The cover 15 is located over the edge of m.c.b. 14 to cover the adapter and cable entry.
    The provision of the arm and nose portions 13a, 13b provide a more rigid connection of the adapter to an m.c.b. and formation of the adapter from a blank provides a simple and inexpensive form of manufacture.

    Claims (7)

    1. An adapter for a circuit breaker which comprises an electrically conductive member formed to be attachable to a circuit breaker, having a portion to be clamped and electrically connectable within a cable entry of the circuit breaker, a downwardly dependable connector portion and an upwardly dependable support portion for engagement with the circuit breaker casing, in use.
    2. An adapter as claimed in claim 1 formed from a blank of electrically conductive material.
    3. An adapter as claimed in claim 2 wherein said blank comprises a generally sheet-form member having a central body portion with an upwardly depending portion which is bent upwardly to lie in a plane normal to the plane of the body portion to form said clampable portion and a pair of wing portions extending upwardly and downwardly from opposed sides of the body portion and bent downwardly to lie coplanar in planes normal to the plane of the body portion, the downwardly extending wing portion being further arcuately bent to form clip connector portions and the upwardly extending wing portions forming said support portion.
    4. An adapter as claimed in claim 3 wherein the upward extremities of the upwardly extending wing portions are each formed with a nose portion for engagement with the circuit breaker casing, in use.
    5. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim in combination with an electrically insulative cover member engagable with the opposed sides of the circuit breaker to cover the adapter and cable entry at the edge of the circuit breaker, in use.
    6. An adapter for a circuit breaker substantially as herein before described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawing.
    7. A circuit breaker, adapter and cover substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
    EP19980410026 1997-03-14 1998-03-06 Improvements in and relating to circuit breakers Expired - Lifetime EP0865061B1 (en)

    Applications Claiming Priority (2)

    Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
    GB9705342A GB2323480B (en) 1997-03-14 1997-03-14 An adapter arrangement for a circuit breaker
    GB9705342 1997-03-14

    Publications (3)

    Publication Number Publication Date
    EP0865061A2 true EP0865061A2 (en) 1998-09-16
    EP0865061A3 EP0865061A3 (en) 1999-04-14
    EP0865061B1 EP0865061B1 (en) 2005-06-08

    Family

    ID=10809256

    Family Applications (1)

    Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
    EP19980410026 Expired - Lifetime EP0865061B1 (en) 1997-03-14 1998-03-06 Improvements in and relating to circuit breakers

    Country Status (5)

    Country Link
    EP (1) EP0865061B1 (en)
    AU (1) AU742165B2 (en)
    DE (1) DE69830436T2 (en)
    ES (1) ES2242267T3 (en)
    GB (1) GB2323480B (en)

    Cited By (1)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    CN106711727A (en) * 2016-12-15 2017-05-24 深圳市海德森科技股份有限公司 Circuit breaker, hot-plug component and adapter thereof

    Families Citing this family (1)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    GB0119680D0 (en) 2001-08-11 2001-10-03 Turner Intellect Property Ltd Tile cutter

    Citations (3)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    DE9203111U1 (en) * 1992-03-09 1992-04-30 Siemens Ag, 8000 Muenchen, De
    GB2301940A (en) * 1995-06-05 1996-12-18 Square D Co An adaptor for a circuit breaker
    EP0757367A1 (en) * 1995-07-31 1997-02-05 Holec Holland N.V. Switching system with terminal modules

    Family Cites Families (2)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    NL8204297A (en) * 1982-11-05 1984-06-01 Hazemeijer Bv COUNTER CONTACTS, ESPECIALLY FOR A KNIFE CONTACT OF A KNIFE PATTERN AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME.
    GB2214712A (en) * 1988-01-14 1989-09-06 Square D Co Housings for electrical consumer units

    Patent Citations (3)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    DE9203111U1 (en) * 1992-03-09 1992-04-30 Siemens Ag, 8000 Muenchen, De
    GB2301940A (en) * 1995-06-05 1996-12-18 Square D Co An adaptor for a circuit breaker
    EP0757367A1 (en) * 1995-07-31 1997-02-05 Holec Holland N.V. Switching system with terminal modules

    Cited By (2)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    CN106711727A (en) * 2016-12-15 2017-05-24 深圳市海德森科技股份有限公司 Circuit breaker, hot-plug component and adapter thereof
    CN106711727B (en) * 2016-12-15 2019-08-23 深圳市海德森科技股份有限公司 Breaker, hot-plug component and its adapter

    Also Published As

    Publication number Publication date
    GB9705342D0 (en) 1997-04-30
    EP0865061A3 (en) 1999-04-14
    DE69830436T2 (en) 2006-03-16
    AU5834898A (en) 1998-09-17
    ES2242267T3 (en) 2005-11-01
    GB2323480A (en) 1998-09-23
    EP0865061B1 (en) 2005-06-08
    GB2323480B (en) 2002-03-20
    AU742165B2 (en) 2001-12-20
    DE69830436D1 (en) 2005-07-14

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