EP2097918B1 - Electrical switch - Google Patents

Abstract

The switch has a contact lever (12) e.g. two-armed lever, with an arm in which a control lever (17) is engaged. A latching lever (27) forms a latching point (31) using a trigger lever (30). A torsion spring (51) engages with a pivot pin (18) that connects the control lever and an intermediate lever (19). The spring acts upon the control lever through the pin in direction of switching-off of a main contact point (10). Force transmission of the spring to the pin is adjusted such that smaller partial force and larger partial force act on the point (31) and the control lever, respectively.

Description

The invention relates to an electrical switch according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a switch is for example in the DE 195 26 591 A1 and in the DE 195 26 592 C2 described.

It has a main current path in which there is a main contact point comprising a fixed and a movable contact piece, wherein the movable contact piece is fixed to a pivotally mounted in a fixed axis of rotation Kontakthebelarm.

Furthermore, a generic switch has a Nebenstrompfad in which a Trennkontaktstelle - also called secondary contact point - is located, which also includes a fixed and a movable contact piece, wherein the movable contact piece is fixed to a pivotally mounted in a stationary axis of rotation contact carrier, and on the in a short circuit case, the current is commutated by the main current path.

The main contact point and the auxiliary contact point can be actuated with a shift lever and with a switch lock mounted with its individual components in a circuit board holder.

The contact lever is a double arm, at the movable contact opposite arm a control lever engages the other end is pivotally connected via a pivot pin with a first intermediate lever, and the the other end of the intermediate lever is pivotally connected to a second intermediate lever articulated on the switch knob.

The pivot pin, with which the two intermediate levers are connected to each other, is guided in a slot of a rotatably mounted ratchet lever.

There is also provided a release lever, with which the latch lever forms a Verklinkungsstelle.

At the release lever, the trigger elements, ie thermal and magnetic triggers, act on the switch lock, wherein the levers are arranged and interact with each other, that when switching on the switching sequence "secondary contact leading, main contact lagging" is realized.

At the contact lever acts a contact pressure spring and tries to press the movable contact piece with a given contact force against the fixed contact piece.

In known generic switches, a switch-off spring in the form of a pressure spring acts on the control lever and attempts to press it against the force of the contact pressure spring in the direction of switching off the main contact point. The opening spring has a lot of space, their spring force on the control lever always acts in the same direction. It must be able to exert even in the partially relaxed state, such a high force on the control lever to overpress the force of the contact pressure spring. The pressure force of the opening spring acts directly on the Verklinkungsstelle and determines the Entklinkungskraft, which must be applied by the thermal release release.

Thus arises in known generic switches, the problem that the opening spring must meet two opposite requirements. To ensure a safe shutdown, the force exerted on the control lever should be as high as possible. To ensure a safe unlatching by the thermal release, this force should be as small as possible. In known generic switches, a compromise is always made, none of the requirements is fully met.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to develop a generic switch so that a high force is exerted on the control lever and at the same time a low force on the Verklinkungsstelle.

The object is achieved by a generic switches with the characterizing features of claim 1.

Thus, according to the invention, the opening spring engages the pivot connecting the control lever and the first intermediate lever and acts on the control lever in the direction of switching off the main contact point via the pivot, the force introduction of the opening spring being arranged on the pivot so that a first, smaller partial force in the direction of Verklinkungsstelle acts, and a second, larger partial force acts on the control lever.

According to the invention, the opening spring thus no longer acts directly on the control lever, but on the pivot connecting the control lever with the first intermediate lever. Thereby, the direction of the force introduction is selectable and can be arranged so that a decomposition of the force of the opening spring takes place in two components, one of which acts in the direction of Verklinkungsstelle, and a second control lever are applied in the direction of switching off. The introduction of force is arranged so that the first, acting in the direction of Verklinkungsstelle partial force is as small as possible, and only the second, acting on the control lever partial force is as large as possible.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the opening spring is a torsion spring, also called leg spring, the first leg is supported at a stationary point, and via the second leg, the force is applied to the pivot.

Torsion springs are spatially wound bending springs with a linear torque characteristic. The force or torque is introduced via the legs at the beginning and end of the spring. They can be adapted in many ways to the existing spatial conditions. By using a torsion spring for realizing the present invention, therefore, the limited space inside the electrical switch according to the invention can be particularly well utilized.

Very advantageous is an embodiment in which the torsion spring is wound around the stationary axis of rotation of the contact carrier of the isolating contact point. Then, the axis of rotation of the contact lever acts as a working mandrel against which the torsion spring rests with its inner winding opening and is thereby held. The axis of rotation of the contact carrier of the isolating contact point is replaced by an additional function, and it is no separate holder for the torsion spring necessary.

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:

das Schaltschloss eines erfindungsgemäßem Schalters in geschlossener Stellung, und

Figur 2:

das Schaltschloss gemäß Figur 1 mit geöffnetem Haupt - und Nebenkontakt.

Show it:

FIG. 1:

the switching mechanism of a switch according to the invention in the closed position, and

FIG. 2:

the switch lock according to FIG. 1 with opened main and sub contact.

The switch lock has a main contact point 10 with a fixed contact piece 11 and a fixed to a contact lever 12 movable contact 13th

The contact lever 12 is rotatably mounted on a stationary axis of rotation 14 and formed as a double arm whose first arm 15 carries the contact piece 13 and on the second arm 16, a control lever 17 engages the contact lever 12 from the closed position (see FIG. 1 ) in the off position (see FIG. 2 ) emotional.

At the contact lever acts - not shown - contact pressure spring and tries to press the movable contact piece 13 with the indicated by the arrow 50 contact force against the fixed contact piece 11.

The control lever 17 is connected via a pivot pin 18 with a first intermediate lever 19. This is hingedly connected via a pivot pin 20 with a second intermediate lever 21 which is hinged to a hinge axis 23 to a switch knob 24 with a control handle 25. The switch knob 24 is mounted in a stationary axis 22.

The pivot pin 20 is movably guided in a slot 26 of a pawl lever 27. The pawl lever 27 is rotatably mounted in a stationary manner about a rotation axis 28. The latch lever 27 forms a latching point 31, which is rotatably mounted about a stationarily mounted axle 29.

The release lever 30 is designed as a double arm, the first, the Verklinkungsstelle zugeneigte arm 301 carries a nose 302 which forms the Verklinkungsstelle 31 together with a nose 271 of the ratchet lever 27. The second, from the Verklinkungsstelle 31 pioneering arm 303 of the trigger lever 30 carries a nose 304. At this nose 304 attack or the thermal release of the switch, for example via - not shown here - slider. By the action of the thermal release of the trigger lever 30 is pivoted during the triggering process in a clockwise direction, so that the nose 302, the nose 271 releases, whereby the Verklinkungsstelle 31 is unlatched. The thermal triggers must overcome at least that force with which the nose 271 acts on the nose 302 and is therefore called Entklinkungskraft.

Between the connecting line, which connects the stationary axis of rotation 28 of the pawl lever 27 and the fixed axis 22 of the switch knob 24, and the contact point 10, a stationary axis of rotation 33 is provided, on which a contact carrier 34 is mounted, which carries a contact lever 35.

At the free end of the contact lever 35, the movable contact piece 36 of a release pad 37 is attached. The isolating contact point 37 has a fixed contact piece 38, which may be connected in a stationary manner and in an electrically conductive manner to the fixed contact piece 11 of the main contact point 10, indicated by a dashed connecting line 138.

The contact carrier 34 is designed as a double-arm carrier. The one, the main contact point 10 facing arm 39 carries the contact lever 35 and the movable contact piece 36. The projecting in the opposite direction, the second arm 40 has a projection 49th

On the control lever 17, a nose 48 is formed, which cooperates with the projection 49 on the contact carrier 34 of the shape that the separating contact point 37 during the opening process the main contact point 10 opens after opening the main contact point 10 and when closing the main contact point 10 before closing this main contact point 10 is already closed.

The connecting line of the pivot pin 20 with the hinge axis 23, which carries the reference numeral 46, runs in the open position according to FIG. 2 below the connecting line 47, which extends between the pivot pin 20 and the stationary axis 22 of the switch knob 24. This is the first stable position of the derailleur in the off position.

In the closed position according to FIG. 1 extends the connecting line 46 above the stationary axis 22. This is the second stable position of the derailleur in the closed position.

To the stationary axis of rotation 33 of the contact carrier 34, a torsion spring 51 is wound. A first leg 52 of the torsion spring 51 is supported at a fixed point 53. This stationary point 53 may be a projection or a recess on the inside of the housing wall of the switch, but it may also be a storage location on the board holder of the switch latch.

A second leg 54 of the torsion spring 51 is supported at its free end against the pivot pin 18 which connects the control lever 17 with the first intermediate lever 19 from. Thus, via the second leg 54 of the torsion spring 51, the force application of the spring force on the pivot pin 18. The spring force which is perpendicular to the second leg 54 in the point of contact between the leg 54 and the pivot pin 18 is introduced thereto, by an arrow 55 designated. It is divided into a first, smaller partial force, designated by the arrow 56, which is directed into the first intermediate lever 19, and in a second, larger partial force, indicated by the arrow 57, which the control lever 17 in the direction "opening the main contact point 10 "seeks to postpone.

Only the first, smaller partial force 56, which is directed into the first intermediate lever 19, generates the Entklinkungskraft at Verklinkungsstelle 31. This is relatively small, so that only a small triggering force must be applied by the thermal release, which at the nose 304 acts on the trigger lever 30.

The second, larger partial force 57 is so great that it can overcome the contact pressure force 50 and can open the main contact point 10 and the separating contact point 37 via the control lever 17. Optionally, the second part of force 57 of the torsion spring 51 can be supported by the force of another tension spring which is hinged on the one hand to the control lever 17 and on the other hand to the second arm 40 of the contact carrier 34. This further tension spring is not shown here, but it is with their function in the above-mentioned documents DE 195 26 591 and DE 195 26 592 described. The other tension spring is also not essential to the invention and not required for the functioning of a switch according to the invention.

When triggered, therefore, the trigger lever 30 would be pivoted clockwise, thereby releasing the low Entklinkungskraft 56 the latching point 31. As a result, the pivot pin 20 is released in the slot 26 of the pawl lever 27 and the control lever 17 can be pressed away by the second, larger partial force 57 of the defined by the fixed contact piece 11 of the main contact point 10 and the axis of rotation 14 of the contact lever 12 fixing level. In this case, the control lever 17 takes over a guide pin 58 with the second arm 16 of the contact lever 12 and pivots it against the contact pressure force 50 and counterclockwise so that the main contact point 10 is opened.

The arrangement of the formed from the first intermediate lever 19, the second intermediate lever 21 and the switch knob 24 and the pivot pin 20 which is guided in the slot 26, with the pawl lever 27 cooperating link chain is made such that the switch knob 24 in the clockwise direction and the Ratchet lever 27 are immediately pivoted back into its Verklinkungslage, so that when the thermal release is cooled again and has moved back to its original position, the Verklinkungsstelle 31 is latched again. This position is in the FIG. 2 shown.

From the in the FIG. 2 shown position is a reconnection of the rear derailleur by turning the handle 25 and thus the switch knob 24 against the clock direction possible. In this case, the torsion spring 51 is then stretched again.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

10 main contact point main contact point

11

Fixed contact piece of the main contact point

12

Contact lever of the main contact point

13

Movable contact piece of the main contact point

14

axis of rotation

15

First arm of the contact lever

16

Second arm of the contact lever

17

control lever

18

pivot

19

First intermediate lever

20

pivot pin

21

Second intermediate lever

22

Fixed axis

23

joint axis

24

toggle switch

25

shifter

26

Long hole

27

ratchet lever

271

nose

28

Rotary axis of the ratchet lever

29

Axle of the release lever

30

sear

301

First arm of the release lever

302

nose

303

Second arm of the release lever

304

nose

31

latching

33

Fixed axis of rotation of the contact carrier 34th

34

contact support

35

Contact lever of the isolating contact point

36

Movable contact piece of the isolating contact point

37

Isolating contact point

38

Fixed contact piece of the isolating contact point

138

connecting line

39

First arm of the contact carrier

40

Second arm of the contact carrier

46

Connecting line 20 - 23

47

Connecting line 20 - 22

48

nose

50

Contact pressure force

51

Torsion spring, opening spring

52

First leg of torsion spring

53

Stationary point

54

Second leg of the torsion spring

55

spring force

56

First part force

57

Second partial force

58

spigot

49

head Start

Claims (3)

1. Electrical switch, with a main current path, in which a main contact point (10) with a movable contact piece (13), which is fastened on a contact lever arm (12, 15) mounted pivotably on a fixed rotary spindle (14), and a stationary contact piece (11) is located, with an auxiliary current path having an isolating contact point (37) with a movable contact piece (36), which is fastened on a contact carrier (34) mounted pivotably on a fixed rotary spindle (33), and a stationary contact piece (38), with the current being commutated from the main current path onto the auxiliary current path in the event of a short circuit, with a switching mechanism, which is mounted with its individual components in a printed circuit board holder and by means of which the main contact point (10) and the isolating contact point (37) can be actuated, and with a toggle switch (24), which can be used to actuate the switching mechanism and the main and isolating contact point, the contact lever (12) being a twin-armed lever, whose arm lying opposite the movable contact piece (13) is acted upon by a control lever (17), whose other end is connected in articulated fashion via a pivot pin (18) to a first intermediate lever (19), and the other end of the first intermediate lever (19) being connected in articulated fashion to a second intermediate lever (21), which is articulated on the toggle switch (24), and the link pin (20), with which the two intermediate levers (19, 21) are connected to one another, being guided in a slot (26) of a rotatably mounted latching lever (27), and a release lever (30) being provided, with which the latching lever (27) forms a latching point (31), characterized in that a tripping spring (51) acts on the pivot pin (18), which connects the control lever (17) and the first intermediate lever (19), and, via the pivot pin (18), loads the control lever (17) in the direction of tripping of the main contact point (10), the introduction of force of the tripping spring (51) onto the pivot pin (18) being designed in such a way that a first, relatively small partial force (56) acts on the latching point (31), and a second, relatively great partial force (57) acts on the control lever (17).
2. Electrical switch according to Claim 1, characterized in that the tripping spring (51) is a torsion spring, whose first leg (52) is supported on a fixed point (53) and whose second leg (54) is used for the introduction of force onto the pivot pin (18).
3. Electrical switch according to Claim 2, characterized in that the torsion spring (51) is wound around the fixed rotary spindle (33) of the contact carrier (34) of the isolating contact point (37).

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