Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • H01H19/00—Switches operated by an operating part which is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof and which is acted upon directly by a solid body external to the switch, e.g. by a hand
  • H01H19/54—Switches operated by an operating part which is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof and which is acted upon directly by a solid body external to the switch, e.g. by a hand the operating part having at least five or an unspecified number of operative positions
  • H01H19/56—Angularly-movable actuating part carrying contacts, e.g. drum switch

Definitions

• the invention relates to a modular electrical switching device.
• the invention relates more particularly to a modular electrical switching device, of the type comprising a series of rotary switches juxtaposed axially, of the type in which each switch comprises a rotor which is rotatably mounted about its axis in a housing of the switch, and which is likely to occupy two angular contact positions in which it electrically connects a fixed common terminal of the switch respectively with a first or a second fixed contact terminal of the switch, and of the type in which means are provided for the rotors of each switch are simultaneously rotated to one or the other of their two contact positions using a single control member.
• Such a modular device can be used to transmit an electrical current simultaneously to several devices by acting on a single organ.
• the current can convey logical information to a control device or it can be a power current intended to supply an electrical device whose start-up depends on other devices connected to the switching device.
• a device can be used for supplying power to a series of motors, for producing a circuit breaker, or for producing a connection between an apparatus and a device for monitoring its operation. .
• the number of switches of the modular device can vary depending on the application, so that it is necessary to design switches that can be juxtaposed in sufficient number.
• the object of the invention is to propose a modular electrical switching device the number of switches of which can be varied in a simple manner. These switches must therefore be able to be juxtaposed in a simple manner and their mechanical connection to the single control member must be reliable and present guarantees as to a good indexing of the rotor of the switch with respect to the state of the circuit breaker.
• each switch must ensure a good electrical connection in each of the two rotor contact positions and must also avoid the occurrence of excessively long arcs during each switching, otherwise the lifetime of the switch.
• the production and assembly of such a modular switching device must be as simple and as inexpensive as possible.
• the invention provides a modular device of the type described above, characterized in that the common terminal of each switch is connected to a friction track with which the rotor of the switch cooperates, in that the friction track extends over an arc of a circle at least equal to the angular travel of the rotor between its two contact positions, and in that the rotor cooperates in an uninterrupted manner with the friction track over its entire angular stroke.
• the friction track is produced in the form of a metal blade which extends in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotor, at the periphery thereof, and the rotor comprises a trotter which comprises at least two opposite elastic tabs which are each supported in the axial direction against one of the opposite faces of the friction track;
• each of the first and second terminals is connected to a contact pad arranged in a plane tangent to the rotor, and the rotor comprises a contact grain which is arranged on a peripheral edge, which is electrically connected to the wiper and which cooperates with the one or the other of the contact pads when the rotor is in one or the other of its contact positions;
• the rotor comprises a body of insulating material which is guided in rotation in the housing and on which is arranged a connecting piece of conductor which carries and connects the wiper and the contact grain;
• connection piece is capable of sliding relative to the rotor along a radius of the rotor passing through the contact grain, and the connection piece is urged by elastic return means to cause a projection of the contact grain radially towards the 'exterior;
• connection piece comprises an annular central part which is received with a radial clearance in an annular groove of the rotor body, and two radial arms which respectively carry the wiper and the contact grain;
• connection piece is substantially diametrically opposite, and they comprise means for guiding the connection piece in its sliding direction;
• the switch housing has an internal face in an arc of a cylinder, opposite which the grain moves contacting the rotor when the latter moves between its two contact positions, and which is provided with striations of orientation substantially parallel to the axis of the rotor;
• connection piece When the rotor is angularly moved from one of its angular contact positions, the connection piece is moved radially against elastic return means by eccentric means to a radial position for cutting off the contact between the contact grain and the corresponding contact pad;
• the eccentric means comprise at least one cam finger and a cam profile, one of which is carried by the housing and the other by the connection piece, and which cooperate to move the connection piece towards its position switching off when the rotor is moved away from one of its angular contact positions;
• the rotor and the housing comprise means which cooperate to limit the angular travel of the rotor;
• the rotor of each contactor of the device has an axial barrel which is provided, at a first axial end, with a drive projection, and at an opposite axial end, with a cavity of complementary shape, and when two switches are juxtaposed, the protuberance of the one is axially engaged within the footprint of the other link for rotating the rotors of the two switches;
• the drive projection and the imprint of the rotor of each switch include angular indexing means which ensure a determined relative angular orientation of the rotors of two juxtaposed switches;
• each switch comprises, on a first external transverse face, positioning lugs, and, on an opposite external transverse face, orifices of complementary shape, so that when two switches are juxtaposed, the lugs of one are received axially in the orifices of the other to index the relative position of the housings of the two switches;
• the switch housing comprises a main body in which is arranged in particular the rotor, and the main body is closed by a transverse cover, an external face of which forms an external transverse face of the housing;
• the device comprises a series of axially juxtaposed rotary switches which are clamped against one another by bars having an axially oriented branch, the two ends of which are curved radially to be received by elastic interlocking in notches arranged in the faces external lateral switches;
• the housing of at least one of the switches includes a fixing lug which extends transversely and which is intended to be fixed on a base by a fixing means.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a modular electrical switching device comprising four switches according to the teachings of the invention
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view, at a different angle, of a switch of the device of Figure 1;
• FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the switch of Figure 2;
• - Figure 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the rotor and the main body of the housing of a switch according to the invention;
• - Figure 5 is a top view of a switch according to the invention;
• FIG. 1 shows a modular electrical switching device 10 comprising four rotary switches 12 juxtaposed axially along the axis A1 of their rotor.
• Each of these switches 12, of the type of that which is shown in FIG. 2, comprises a housing 14 of substantially square shape and of relatively small axial thickness.
• the housings 14 of the switches 12 are joined to one another by their transverse lateral faces 16. 18 so that the switching device forms a compact block.
• Each switch 12 has a three-pin connector 20 a, 21 b, 21 c for its connection to an electrical appliance (not shown).
• the pins 21 of the connector extend transversely outwards, in the thickness of the switch 12.
• the connector 20 is of a standardized type, for example of the "HE 14" type according to standard UTE-C93- 401.
• the housing 14 of the switch 12 essentially comprises a main body 22, a transverse bottom wall 24 carries the transverse lateral face 1 6, and a cover 26 whose external face forms the face transverse lateral 18 of the housing 14.
• the rotor 28 of the rotary switch 12 is received in rotation about the axis A1 in the housing 14.
• the three pins 21 a, 21 b, 21 c of the connector 20 each have a chimney 30a, 30b, 30c which is made integrally with the main body 22 of the housing 14 and which is provided with an opening 32 at its end. transverse free to allow the transverse introduction of a corresponding male pin (not shown) of a corresponding connector connected to the control device.
• the chimneys 30 are also open laterally in order to allow the introduction, into each of them, of a female contact terminal 34a, 34b, 34c made of electrically conductive material and intended for be in electrical contact with the male pins of the corresponding connector.
• transverse tongues 36 of the cover 26 close the chimneys 30 laterally.
• the connector 20 of the switch 12 also comprises an elastic tab 38 provided with a lug 40 which allows the docking of the corresponding connector.
• Each terminal 34 is connected by a connecting strip 42a, 42b, 42c respectively to a first fixed contact 44a, to a second fixed contact 44b and to a friction track 44c which are arranged in the main body 22 of the housing 14 around a central cylindrical space intended to receive the rotor 28 of the switch 12.
• the terminals 34 can be welded to the corresponding connecting strip 42 or be made from materials with the latter.
• the first and second fixed contacts 44a, 44b are produced in the form of a contact key and are arranged substantially at 80 ° from each other around the axis A1 and they extend in an axial plane tangent to the rotor 28, at the periphery thereof.
• the friction track 44c is produced in the form of a metal strip which extends in an arc of a circle in a transverse plane of the switch 12.
• the friction track 44c extends over an angle at least equal to the angular difference between the two fixed contacts 44a, 44b.
• the rotor 28 is intended to pivot about its axis between two contact positions in which it is established contact between the friction track 44c linked to the common terminal 34c and, respectively, the first contact 44a or the second contact fixed 44b linked respectively to terminals 34a,
• the rotor 28 is electrically connected in an uninterrupted manner to the friction track 44c throughout its angular travel between its two contact positions.
• the rotor 28 comprises a rotor body 46 which is made of insulating material, of substantially circular shape, and which carries a connection piece 48 of electrically conductive material produced for example by cutting and folding a metal sheet.
• connection piece 48 comprises an annular central part 50 which is received in a groove 52 of complementary shape arranged in a transverse face of the rotor body 46.
• Two transverse arms 54, 56 extend radially outwards from the part annular central
• the wiper 58 has three elastic tabs 62, two of which, as can be seen more particularly in FIG. 6, are intended to cooperate with a transverse face of the track 44c while the other tab 62 cooperates with the opposite face of the track 44c.
• the wiper 58 establishes electrical contact with the friction track 44c by allowing a certain imprecision q uant to the relative axial position of the rotor 28 and the friction track 44C.
• the free ends of the legs 62 of the wiper 58 which bear axially against the friction track 44c, are shaped so as to ensure good quality electrical contact.
• the contact grain 60 is arranged in an axial plane tangent to the rotor 28 at the periphery thereof, so as to arrive opposite the fixed contacts 44a, 44b.
• connection piece 48 is capable of sliding relative to the rotor body 46 in the diametrical direction of the two opposite transverse arms 54, 56 .
• connection piece 48 is received with radial clearance in the groove 52 of the rotor body 46. Furthermore, a compression spring 64, which is guided in a semi-cylindrical housing 66 of radial orientation arranged below the transverse arm 56, urges the grain 60 radially outwards, in contact with the button of the fixed contact 44a, 44b.
• connection piece 48 with the friction track 44c is maintained whatever the position of the connection piece 48 in the diametrical direction of the two transverse arms 54, 56 thanks to the conformation of the wiper 58 which is in abutment against the track 44c in the axial direction, and not in the radial direction.
• the radial width of the track 44c determines the admissible radial stroke of the connection piece 48 relative to the rotor body 46.
• This arrangement also makes it possible to compensate for coaxiality faults between the rotor 28 and the housing 14 of the switch 12.
• connection piece 48 comprises means which allow its movement to be limited relative to the rotor body 46 to a simple sliding in the diametrical direction of the two transverse arms 54, 56.
• the parallelepipedic blocks 72 extend radially, below each of the transverse arms 54, 56, and have two opposite parallel faces with which the flaps 70 cooperate.
• the housing 66 for guiding the spring 64 is arranged in the parallelepiped block 72 arranged below the transverse arm 56 which carries the contact groove 60.
• the possibility of the appearance of electric arcs during the switching that is to say when the rotor 28 of the switch 12 passes from one to the other of its contact positions.
• the contact grain 60 moves opposite an internal cylindrical face 68 of the main body 22 of the housing 14 which is provided with grooves d 'axial orientation allowing at least to reduce the duration of electric arcs likely to appear.
• FIGS. 7 to 9 Illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9, schematically, an alternative embodiment of the invention which makes it possible to further improve the switching, and which in particular makes it possible to control the appearance of electric arcs at the time of engagement or release of contact between the contact grain 60 and one of the two studs 44a, 44b.
• the principle illustrated here consists in using the possibility of radial clearance of the connection piece 48 relative to the rotor body 40.
• I t is therefore, when the rotor 28 is moved away from one of its angular positions contact, to cause a displacement of the contact grain 60 radially inwardly so as to quickly cut the electrical contact between the grain 60 and the pad 44a, 44b.
• the contact grain 60 is only radially able to come into contact with the corresponding pad when it is almost perfectly aligned angularly with the corresponding pad 44.
• the switch 12 firstly comprises a flange 118 which extends axially at the center of the annular portion 50 of the connection piece 48 and which is for example integral with the cover 26 of the housing 14.
• the fixed collar 1 1 8 has two bosses 120 which extend radially outward to form fingers cam intended to cooperate with the internal edge 122 of the annular part 50 of the connection piece 48.
• the internal edge 122 has two ramp elements 124 which form a cam path in relief radially inward relative to the general circular contour of the internal edge 122.
• the two ramp elements 124 are capable of coming into abutment against one of the bosses 120 of the collar 1 1 8, under the effect of the return spring 64.
• connection piece 48 is first gradually withdrawn radially inward by the contact of one of the bosses 120 of the fixed collar 1 18 with one of the ramp elements 124 of the edge 122, so as to be released only at the last moment when the contact grain 60 is almost perfectly aligned with the contact pad 44. It improves thus switching by limiting the appearance of harmful electric arc.
• the switch 12 according to the invention has a very high reliability over time with respect to degradations due to electric arcs, the latter being generally a major source of malfunction of the switches.
• improved means are provided which allow the rotors 28 of two switches 12 juxtaposed in the modular device 10 to be linked in rotation.
• the rotor 28 comprises a central barrel 74 which comprises, at a first axial end, a drive square 76 and, at its opposite axial end, an imprint 78 of shape complementary to that of the square 76.
• the end axial of the barrel 74 which carries the drive square 76 protrudes outside the housing 14 through a circular bore 80 arranged in the transverse bottom wall 24 of the main body 22 of the housing 14.
• the imprint 78 is accessible through a second circular bore 82 arranged in the cover 26.
• the imprint 78 is provided with an axial indexing finger 84 which is intended to be received in a complementary clearance 86 arranged on the drive square 76 of the juxtaposed switch 12.
• the drive square 76 With a series of protrusions (not shown) arranged on axial lateral faces of the drive square 76, in the vicinity of its four angles. These protrusions, which extend axially, require that the square 76 be engaged slightly in force in the cavity 78. As can be seen in FIG. 1, when several switches 12 are juxtaposed axially to form a switching device 1 0 , only the drive square 76 is apparent from one of the switches 12 arranged at an axial end of the device 1 0. This drive square 76 is then capable of being coupled to a control member (not shown).
• all of the rotors 28 of the switches 12 of the device 10 are integral with one another and mechanically controlled by the main switch.
• the end of the barrel 74 of the rotor 28 which carries the drive square 76 has a portion of cylindrical surface 92 of axis A1 which is received in the circular orifice 82 of the cover 26 through which the imprint 78 is accessible, which is what participates positioning.
• the transverse bottom wall 24 of the main body 22 of the housing 14 comprises, on an internal face, two concentric flanges 94, 96 which delimit an annular groove 98 in which a flange is received corresponding annular 00 of the rotor 28. Furthermore, the link arm 42b which joins the terminal 34b to the second fixed contact 44b extends partially at the bottom of the annular groove 98.
• the latter comprises a stop 102 which is arranged above the contact grain 60 and which extends radially outwards relative to the rotor body 46 so as to abut against abutment faces 104, 106 arranged in the form of radial recesses in the ' internal cylindrical face 68 of the main body 22 of the housing 14. As can be seen more particularly in FIG.
• the main body 22 of the housing 14 has a fixing lug 1 16 which extends transversely from a side face of axial orientation and which is provided with a passage, for example for a fixing screw of the switching device 10 on a base.
• some switches 12 of the device 1 0 can be devoid of fixing ear. Da advantageously, it is possible to axially add several switching devices 10 to form a switching assembly with 8, 1 2 or more switches 12. Two end switches 12 of two devices 12 joined together are then juxtaposed as was previously seen for two switches juxtaposed in the same device 10.

Landscapes

• Rotary Switch, Piano Key Switch, And Lever Switch (AREA)
• Switches With Compound Operations (AREA)
• Motor Or Generator Current Collectors (AREA)
• Dc Machiner (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 1997
  • 1997-01-31 FR FR9701039A patent/FR2759199B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1998
  • 1998-01-30 JP JP53259498A patent/JP3935965B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-01-30 DE DE69801192T patent/DE69801192T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-01-30 CN CN98800084A patent/CN1117384C/zh not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-01-30 WO PCT/FR1998/000181 patent/WO1998034253A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-01-30 EP EP98905472A patent/EP0891627B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-01-30 ES ES98905472T patent/ES2161038T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-09-25 US US09/160,917 patent/US6111208A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

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