EP2097917B1 - Switching apparatus with rotary handle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention describes a switching apparatus (30) with a rotary handle (40) for actuating a switching mechanism (15) of a service switching device with a housing (20) with at least one upper housing wall (23), comprising an electromagnetic release (13) with an armature and a thermal release (113), wherein, in the event of the occurrence of a specific short-circuit current, the electromagnetic release (13) directly hits a contact point (10) via the armature and keeps it permanently open via the switching mechanism (15) and, in the event of the occurrence of a specific overcurrent, the thermal release (113) keeps the contact point permanently open via the switching mechanism (15), and wherein the rotary handle (40), corresponding to the switching position of the switching mechanism (15), can assume a switch-on position and a switch-off position and, on tripping of the electromagnetic (13) or thermal (113) release, can assume a tripping position which is situated between the switch-on position and the switch-off position. The apparatus is characterized by the fact that the switching device housing (20) has a display window (24) and the switching apparatus (30) comprises a signalling lever (31), which is acted upon by a signalling spring (35) towards a signalling position, with a display plate (36), which is visible in the viewing range of the display window (24) when the signalling lever (31) is moved into the signalling position, and the fact that the force of the signalling spring (35) acting on the signalling lever (31) in the direction of the signalling position is blocked and is only released on tripping of the electromagnetic release (13), with the result that the tripping of the electromagnetic release (13) is indicated by the tripping position of the rotary handle (40) and by the display plate (36) visible in the viewing window (24).

Description

The invention relates to a switching device with a rotary handle for actuating a switching mechanism of a service switching device with a housing having at least one upper housing wall, wherein the service switching device comprises an electromagnetic release with an armature and a thermal release, and wherein upon occurrence of a specific short-circuit current of the electromagnetic release via the armature a contact point directly aufschlägt and keeps permanently open on the switch lock, and further wherein the occurrence of a certain overcurrent of the thermal release via the switch lock keeps the contact permanently open, and wherein the rotary handle according to the switching position of the switch lock a switch-on and a switch-off and tripping of the electromagnetic or thermal release can assume a release position located between the switch-on and switch-off, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Electrical installation switching devices have u. a. a contact point arrangement with a fixed and a movable contact piece arrangement, a thermal and / or electromagnetic release and a switch lock, which cooperates on the one hand with the one or more triggers and on the other hand with the movable contact piece arrangement.

In the case of triggering a latch mechanism is unlatched by the trigger, and the contact opening is usually via a lever system, such as a toggle lever system, which transmits in conjunction with other levers and tabs the movement of the switching mechanism on the contacts and this opens permanently.

The lever system can be moved via a rotary movement of a rotary handle and placed in an over-center position. The rotary handle is then in its ON position. By this movement of the lever system, which is usually supported on the latch mechanism, a power storage is stretched. The latching mechanism acts on transmission parts and thus on the contact point arrangement. When switching on, it is closed via the switch lock and opened when switched off.

Triggering unlocks the latch mechanism by overriding the latch support so that the lever system can collapse. The switch lock acts in the collapse of the lever system due to the spring force in an opening manner.

When resetting the rotary knob to the original position (switch-off position), the latch mechanism is reactivated so that the switch lock can be switched on again.

The switch lock can be released when the handle is held in the switch-on position without being affected. In contact welding, the rotary handle must not enter the switch-off position and thereby notify the operator of a contact opening which, in actual fact, does not exist when the contact is welded.

In known service switching devices, for example as in the DE 101 39 917 A1 shown, the return of the rotary handle to the off position when triggered automatically by the force of a force acting on the rotary handle toward switch-off spring is released, see DE 202 14 578 U1 , By the position of the rotary handle the switch position is visually displayed to the operator.

The document EP 1 274 109 discloses a device according to the preamble of claim 1.

Devices are also known in which the operator is indicated by an intermediate position of the rotary handle between the switch-on position and switch-off position, the so-called triggering position, when a triggering has taken place and therefore the latching mechanism is unlatched to distinguish this state from the state of conscious switch-off to be able to. In this case, the rotary handle takes the triggering position regardless of whether the triggering occurred due to a short circuit or due to an overcurrent, so whether it is an electromagnetic or a thermal tripping has occurred, or whether tripping has been forced by an auxiliary switch attached to the device, such as an undervoltage release or a shunt release. A tripping due to an overcurrent is known to occur when a current that exceeds the rated current by about 1.2 times longer than a predetermined time, for example, half an hour is applied. Electromagnetic tripping due to a short-circuit current is known to occur when a current that significantly exceeds the rated current, so for example by ten to twenty times, occurs, because this greatly increased short-circuit current must be turned off very quickly.

Since different causes are responsible for an overcurrent and a short-circuit current, it would be desirable if the operator could additionally recognize from the outside on the service switching device whether the trip was due to a short-circuit current or due to an overcurrent.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to further develop a switching device with a rotary handle for actuating a switching mechanism so that when a trip occurs from outside the switching device can be seen whether the triggering is due to a short-circuit current or due to an overcurrent.

The object is achieved by a switching device with the characterizing features of claim 1.

According to the invention, the switching device housing thus comprises a display window, and the switching device comprises a signaling lever acted upon by a signaling spring in a signaling display lever which is visible on displacement of the signaling lever into the signaling position in the viewing area of the display window, and which acts on the signaling lever in the direction of the signaling position Force of the signaling spring is blocked and is released only when a triggering of the electromagnetic release, so that the triggering of the electromagnetic release is indicated by the triggering position of the rotary handle and by the display panel visible in the viewing window.

In the event of thermal tripping or tripping by an undervoltage or a shunt release, the force of the signaling spring acting on the signaling lever in the direction of the signaling position is accordingly blocked, so that the display panel is then not visible in the viewing window. However, the rotary handle would also be moved in a thermal tripping in its release position. Thus, in the switching device according to the invention thus be recognized from outside of the switching device, whether a triggering has occurred - because then the rotary handle is in its release position - and if the cause of this triggering was a short circuit - then the display panel is also visible in the window - or if the cause of this trip was an overcurrent - then no display plate is visible in the viewing window.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the blocking of the force acting on the signaling lever in the direction of the signaling position force of the signaling spring is effected by a hold in its holding position the signaling lever captivating retaining lug. In this case, advantageously, the armature of the electromagnetic release with the retaining lug are in operative connection, so that the retaining lug releases the force of the signaling spring on the signaling lever in a release of the electromagnetic release. By this embodiment, only one additional additional component is required, so that the realization and assembly of a switching device according to the invention is simplified.

Further advantageous is an embodiment according to which, after spending the signaling lever in the signaling position, the retaining lug is prevented by an extension on the signaling lever on its return to the holding position. This ensures that the short-circuit current tripping through the display plate remains displayed until the switch lock is switched off manually via the rotary handle.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the rotary handle takes when moving into its off position via a pin the signaling lever meanwhile off position, in which the retaining lug due to the force of a return spring in their holding position is reset. Thus, when turning off the switch lock on the rotary handle, the display panel is removed again from the viewing window, the display is reset to the normal state. Therefore, this position can also be called a reset position.

Reference to the drawings, in which an embodiment of the invention is shown, the invention and further advantageous refinements and improvements of the invention will be explained and described in detail.

Figur 1 a-c:

schematisch die Aufsicht auf ein Installationsschaltgerät mit einer erfin- dungsgemäßen Schaltvorrichtung in der Einschaltposition (1 a), der Auslö- seposition nach thermischer Auslösung (1 b) und der Auslöseposition nach Kurzschlussauslösung (1c),

Figur 2 a-c:

schematisch eine erfindungsgemäße Schaltvorrichtung in der Einschalt- position (1 a), der Auslöseposition nach Kurzschlussauslösung (1 b) und der Rücksetzposition (1c)

Figur 3:

eine Aufsicht auf ein Installationsschaltgerät mit einer erfindungsgemäßen Schaltvorrichtung, sowie

Figur 4:

schematisch das Zusammenwirken, einer erfindungsgemäßen Schaltvor- richtung mit dem Schaltschloss und dem thermischen sowie dem elektro- magnetischen Auslöser in einem Installationsschaltgerät.

Show it:

FIG. 1 ac:

1 is a schematic plan view of an installation switching device with a switching device according to the invention in the switch-on position (1 a), the tripping position after thermal tripping (1 b) and the tripping position after short-circuit tripping (1c),

Figure 2 ac:

schematically a switching device according to the invention in the switch-on (1 a), the tripping position after short-circuit release (1 b) and the reset position (1 c)

FIG. 3:

a plan view of an installation switching device with a switching device according to the invention, and

FIG. 4:

schematically the interaction, a switching device according to the invention with the switching mechanism and the thermal and the electromagnetic release in a service switching device.

In the FIGS. 1 to 4 each identical or equivalent elements or assemblies are each denoted by the same reference numerals.

It is the first FIG. 4 considered. It schematically shows an inventive installation switching device 1 with a housing 20, of the example, two side walls 21,22 and a display window 24 having upper housing wall 23 are shown, and with a Polstrompfad 2 between an input terminal 3 and an output terminal 4. In the illustration of the FIG. 4 the switching device is in the closed position. It could be, for example, a Polstrompfad a three-pole motor protection switch act whose other two Polstrompfade are constructed accordingly.

The pole current path 2 comprises two stationary contact pieces 5, 6 and two movable contact pieces 8, 9 arranged on a movable contact bridge 7, through which a contact point 10 with double interruption is formed. The contact bridge 7 is acted upon by a contact pressure spring 11 in the closing direction, see directional arrow S. By a pusher 12 which engages the contact pressure spring 11 opposite side of the contact bridge 7, this can be applied in the opening direction, see direction arrow O.

The Polstrompfad 2 still includes a thermal release 113 and an electromagnetic release 13 with an armature that hits the contact bridge 7 in the opening direction in the event of a short circuit current occurring in the Polstrompfad 2 due to an electrodynamic recoil over the pusher 12, indicated by the action line 14. At the same time acts the armature of the electromagnetic release 13 in the event of a short circuit on a switching mechanism 15 and unlatched Verklinkungsstelle, indicated by the action line 16, so that the switching mechanism 15 in the unlatched state via an active lever 17, indicated by the action line 18, the pusher 12 permanently in the opening direction the contact bridge 7 acted upon.

The function of the thermal release 113, which also acts on the switching mechanism 15 in the event of an overcurrent, the Verklinkungsstelle also unlatched and thus also the contact point 10 permanently open, indicated by the action line 14, is known in principle and not the subject of the present invention.

In the mechanical system comprising the switching mechanism 15 and the active lever 17 may be, for example, a toggle lever system with a two-stage latch. The active lever 17 is designed as a double arm lever whose first, acted upon by the switching mechanism 15 lever arm 171 and the second, cooperating with the pusher 12 lever arm 172 form an obtuse angle with each other and is rotatably mounted in a stationary axis of rotation 173, whereby the active lever 17 as a lever acts.

Below the upper housing wall 23, a switching device 30 according to the invention is schematically mounted. Its core is a signaling lever 31, which comprises an elongated base beam 32, at one end of which a display bar 33 is approximately T-shaped and at the other end a Ausschaltarm 34 is attached. The signaling lever 31 is arranged with its longitudinal extension direction approximately parallel to the upper housing wall 23 longitudinally displaceable.

A signaling spring 35, which is supported at fixed points within the housing, acts on the indicator bar 33 the signaling lever 31 in the direction of the display window 24 out, indicated by the action arrow P.

At the upper housing wall 23 facing narrow side of the display bar 33 which carries a display plate 36, soft in a clearly visible signal color, but preferably not exclusively in red, is executed. Instead of a scattered display plate, the narrow side of the display bar 33 may also be painted red. A further variant consists in that the entire signaling lever 31 consists of a - for example, red - colored material, that is, for example, a red plastic injection molded part.

The force of the signaling spring 35, which wants to move the signaling lever 31 in the direction of the display window 24, is blocked by a retaining lug 37, which is on the longitudinal side of the display bar 33 the signaling lever 31 on its way to the display window 24 in the way.

Between the display window 24 and the housing side wall 21, a circuit breaker wall 25 is still shown schematically, which limits the switching mechanism 15.

Externally on the upper housing wall 23, a rotary handle 40 is mounted, which engages with a pin 41 in a guide opening 26 in the upper housing wall 23. The pin 41 is dimensioned so that it can be brought into engagement with the turn-off arm 34 of the signaling lever 31.

The rotary handle 40 carries an elongated handle portion 41, on which the position of the rotary handle 40 can be read. For reasons of clarity of illustration, the rotary handle 40 in the schematic representation according to the Figures 2 a - c and 4 shown as a slider. However, it is easy for a person skilled in the art to explain the functionality explained with reference to the slide and its lateral displacement to the rotational movement of a rotary handle and the interaction of the rotary movement of the rotary handle with the signaling lever 31.

Via a line of action 42, the functional interaction of the rotary handle 40 with the switching mechanism 15 and in particular with the latching mechanism of the switching mechanism 15 is indicated. In principle, different solutions are known to the person skilled in the art for the concrete embodiment of this interaction. Due to the known functional interaction of the rotary handle 40 with the latching mechanism of the switch lock 15, the rotary handle 40 assumes a switch-on, a triggering and a switch-off position as a function of the switching position of the switch lock 15, which is determined by an operator by viewing the respective rotational position of the handle section 41 can be recognized.

Another line of action 43 indicates the functional interaction of the electromagnetic release 13 with the retaining lug 37. The retaining lug 37 may, for example, be attached to a magnetic lever, which is not shown here, which is pivotable when the electromagnetic release 13 is triggered by its armature.

It is now the Figures 2a, 2b and 2c considered. FIG. 2a schematically shows the switching device 30, shown in isolation, in the on position according to FIG. 4 ,

The FIG. 2b shows the switching device 30 in the release position after release of the electromagnetic release. The retaining lug 37 was pivoted down under the action of the armature together with the magnetic lever to which it is attached. Thus, it has released the path of the signaling lever 31, so that it can be pressed by the force of the signaling spring 35 to the left to the display window 24. The color-coded display plate 36 is visible through the display window 24 from the outside and indicates that an electromagnetic triggering occurred Has. The signaling lever 31 is now in its signal position. The display bar 33 of the signaling lever 31 is doing at the switching mechanism wall 25 to a stop which is arranged so that the display plate 36 comes to rest just below the display window 24.

At the same time, also under the action of the armature, the force of a return spring, which acts on the rotary handle 40 toward its off position, released, so that the rotary handle is rotated in the direction of its off position. By means of a pin extension 46 cooperating with the latching mechanism in a suitable manner, see FIG. 3 , the rotary handle is held in its release position, his FIG. 1 c. In the release position, the rotary handle is rotated by about 30 ° counter to the clockwise direction with respect to the switch-on position; the triggering position is clearly visible from the outside due to the rotation of the grip section 42.

The pin extension 46 cooperates with the latching mechanism so that it is pushed out by the upper housing wall 23 during thermal and / or electromagnetic triggering. The interaction of the rotary handle with the pin extension and the latch mechanism is otherwise in the patent application with the Mp.-Nr. 06/673 described. FIG. 3 further shows the pin 45 for attachment and guidance of the rotary handle. Also shows FIG. 3 a signaling lever 31, which is made of a colored plastic material in one piece by injection molding and is arranged displaceably in approximately tangential to the rotary handle in the direction of the broad side of the switching device housing.

If, after the tripping caused interruption of the Polstrompfades in case of short circuit, the armature of the magnetic release drops again, then the retaining lug 37 is acted upon by the restoring force of a spring back towards their holding position, which held them in the closed position. By an extension 44 on the display bar 33 of the signaling lever 31, however, it is blocked in this return movement, so that the signaling lever 31 remains in its signal position.

If the rotary handle 40 by hand from the release position according to FIG. 2b in its switch-off position according to Figure 2c is reset, it takes over an extension 41 in engagement with a Ausschaltarm 34 on the signaling lever 34 in the off position with, ie, he pulls the signaling lever 31 in the switching lock wall opposite direction and thus moves the display plate 36 again out of the field of view of the display window 24 out. In this case, the signaling lever is moved a bit beyond its closed position, so that the path for the retaining lug, acted upon by a return spring, is released back into its holding position, and this moves back to the holding position.

At the same time, the pawl mechanism in cooperation with the rotary handle 40 also ensures that the pin extension 46 is retracted to the height of the upper housing wall 23 and thus does not block a renewed activation of the rotary handle 40 by an operator. When the rotary handle 40 is again in its on position, the signaling spring 35 presses the signaling lever 31 in the direction of its signal position, but this is held by the retaining lug 37 in its closed position, see FIG. 2a ,

The FIGS. 1a to 1c show schematically how the switch-on position ( FIG. 1 a) and the tripping position at thermal tripping ( FIG. 1 b) and with electromagnetic release ( FIG. 1c) seen from the front of the device by an operator. Although thermal triggering of the rotary handle 40 is pivoted into its release position and held there by the pin extension 46, but in the display window 24 no color highlighted display plate visible. Because with thermal tripping the armature of the electromagnetic release was not activated, and thus the retaining lug 37 remains in its holding position.

All implementation possibilities which are familiar to the person skilled in the art after disclosure of the inventive function described here are, of course, to be covered by the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

P

active arrow

1

Service switching device

2

pole current path

3

input terminal

4

output terminal

5

Fixed contact pieces

6

Fixed contact pieces

7

Mobile contact bridge

8th

Movable contact pieces

9

Movable contact pieces

10

contact point

11

Contact pressure spring

12

handle

13

Electromagnetic release

14

line of action

15

switch lock

16

line of action

17

active lever

18

line of action

20

casing

21

Side wall

22

Side wall

23

Upper housing wall

24

display window

25

Switching castle wall

26

guide opening

27

terminals

30

switching device

31

signaling lever

32

basic bar

33

display bar

34

Ausschaltarm

35

signaling window

36

display panel

37

holding flag

40

rotary handle

41

handle portion

42

line of action

43

line of action

44

extension

45

pivot

46

Post extension

113

Thermal release

114

line of action

171

First lever arm

172

Second lever arm

173

axis of rotation

Claims (6)

1. Switching apparatus (30) with a rotary handle (40) for actuating a switching mechanism (15) of a service switching device with a housing (20) with at least one upper housing wall (23), comprising an electromagnetic release (13) with an armature and a thermal release (113), wherein, in the event of the occurrence of a certain short-circuit current, the electromagnetic release (13) knocks open a contact point (10) directly via the armature and holds said contact point (10) permanently open via the switching mechanism (15) and, in the event of the occurrence of a certain excess current, the thermal release (113) holds the contact point permanently open via the switching mechanism (15), and wherein the rotary handle (40) can assume, corresponding to the switching position of the switching mechanism (15), a making position and a breaking position and, in the event of tripping of the electromagnetic release (13) or thermal release (113), a tripping position which is positioned between the making position and the breaking position, characterized in that the housing (20) comprises an indicator window (24) and the switching apparatus (30) comprises a signaling lever (31), which is acted upon by a signaling spring (35) towards a signaling position and has an indicator board (36) which is visible in the viewing area of the indicator window (24) when the signaling lever (31) is shifted into the signaling position, and in that the force of the signaling spring (35) acting on the signaling lever (31) in the direction of the signaling position is blocked and is only released in the event of tripping of the electromagnetic release (13), with the result that the tripping of the electromagnetic release (13) is indicated by the tripping position of the rotary handle (40) and by the indicator board (36) which is visible in the viewing window (24).
2. Switching apparatus (30) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the blocking of the force of the signaling spring (34) acting on the signaling lever (31) in the direction of the signaling position takes place by means of a holding lug (37), which, in its holding position, restrains the signaling lever (31).
3. Switching apparatus (30) according to Claim 2, characterized in that the armature of the electromagnetic release (13) is operatively connected to the holding lug (37), with the result that the holding lug (37) releases the force of the signaling spring (35) onto the signaling lever (31) in the event of tripping of the electromagnetic release (13).
4. Switching apparatus (30) according to Claim 3, characterized in that, once the signaling lever (31) has been brought into the signaling position, the holding lug (37) is impeded on its return to the holding position by a protrusion (44) on the signaling lever (31).
5. Switching apparatus (30) according to Claim 4, characterized in that the rotary handle (40), when it is brought into the breaking position, carries along, via a pin (41), the signaling lever (31) into its breaking position, in which the holding lug (37) is reset to its holding position owing to the force of a resetting spring.
6. Service switching device (1) with a switching apparatus (30) according to one of Claims 1 to 5.

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