EP2518752B1 - Fault trip indicator by the position of the handle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to circuit-breaker-type electrical protection devices, and more particularly relates to an electrical fault signaling device on one of the lines protected by the device, the occurrence of such a defect manifesting itself concretely in a device. particular position of the control lever of said apparatus.

Such an apparatus is disclosed in the EP0338930 A1 which discloses the features according to the preamble of claim 1.

The purpose is to allow the user to know immediately if the device has been opened manually or if the opening of the contacts results from an incident. Such information, in addition to its security as it provides information on the exact state of the protected line, may influence the decision-making approach taken by the user before a possible rearming of the product, regardless of his knowledge of electricity . On a practical level, this information is given in such a way that it is visible even in dark environments, which is particularly advantageous with regard to the location of the electrical panels in many configurations.

Finally, the information being given by the particular positioning of the joystick, which is obviously already part of this type of product, it does not require the implementation of additional particular components, or the development of a solution to heavy design and focus. The configuration advocated by the invention is also part of a solution that has no impact on the existing assembly process.

In short, the object of the invention is to propose a signaling technique that relies very much on the device as it exists, without it is necessary to rethink all or part of the product, but at least modify it at least.

An electrical apparatus according to the invention is defined in claim 1.

This type of apparatus comprises at least one pair of respectively fixed and movable contacts, the control lever which has been mentioned to move their relative position between a first position of separation and a second position of contact. This lever is in fact connected to the movable contact via a mechanical lock based on a toggle comprising on the one hand a link and on the other hand a pivoting assembly against biasing means. This assembly comprises a movable contact carrier and a trigger mounted relative rotation, the trigger cooperating also with at least one actuator adapted to reflect an electrical fault on the line. It is typically a magnetic actuator for the detection of short circuits, and a thermal actuator detecting overloads on the line.

One end of the link of the toggle is rotatably mounted at the periphery of the handle, while the other end is positioned in abutment on an outgrowth of the contact carrier against which it is held by a spout of the trigger. A link balance / trigger / contact carrier is then implemented. In the event of a fault on the line, an action on the said trigger causes it to rotate relative to the contact-holder, and the tilting of the lock under the effect of the return means by breaking the aforementioned equilibrium, rupture causing the release of the end of the rod beyond the protrusion relative to the axis of rotation of the trigger / contact carrier assembly. Reminder means linked to the handle then recall the rod and its end released towards the axis of rotation of said lever along a path external to said assembly.

The action on the handle in the direction of closing or opening the contacts respects the balance rod / trigger / contact holder. In other words, when the contacts are opened by deliberate action of the user on the handle, the end of the link retains the same position relative to the trigger / contact carrier assembly, and makes a path respecting the mentioned balance. This path is the same, but in the opposite direction, that which is performed when there is manual closing of the product. On the contrary, when the product is opened by an action on the trigger, the broken balance leading to expel the end of the rod of the trigger / contact assembly, the end in question of the rod footprint a different path when the handle returns to its open position.

It is the path difference that is exploited in the context of the invention, which is mainly characterized in that the electrical apparatus comprises an obstacle placed on said path, blocking the rod / lever assembly in an intermediate position. signaling the triggering of the lock following an electrical fault on a line, said obstacle being at least partially retractable and / or deformable when the force exerted on the handle is greater than the force resulting from the return means of the joystick.

This obstacle acts only when the trajectory of the link is changed by breaking the equilibrium, leaving unchanged the operation during the arming operation, that is to say closing the contacts. The operation is not further modified during manual opening, said obstacle having no effect when the trajectory of the end of the rod is imposed by its equilibrium state with the contact-holder assembly. trigger. The resetting of the product following a fault can only be carried out following an acknowledgment, operated in the following manner: it is necessary to manually operate the handle in the open position of the contacts before the product can be reset. The fact that the obstacle is at least partially retractable and / or deformable is exploited during this acknowledgment operation, insofar as it implements a greater effort than that which comes from the mainspring, resulting in to move or deform the obstacle during the action on the lever to bring it to the open position of the contacts.

For professionals, the operation is quite similar to that which characterizes the products of the family of molded housings, generally devolving to higher powers, which can be considered as an additional advantage of the invention since the knowledge of this type of operation exists. It should also be noted that, considering the design of this system, operating completely internal to the product, this new means of indication is completely insensitive to pollution that may result from the existence of dust, pollution related to the cut, etc. .

In fact, according to one possibility, at least a portion of said obstacle is provided with a flexible material so that the complete rotation of the handle deforms it elastically by means of the released end of the link.

More specifically, the obstacle according to the invention comprises a protuberance extending towards the inside of the front of the housing of the apparatus which exceeds the control handle, or extending towards the inside of a wall. orienting substantially parallel to said facade of a flange-type element secured to the housing.

This solution reflects the position of the lock in the housing of the electrical device concerned by the invention, in the vicinity of said facade. The obstacle according to the invention can therefore be integrated either with an existing part, conventionally provided in the environment of the lock, for example of the flange, envelope or other type, but this is not the preferential solution, directly to the case.

In this case, the protrusion may be made of a flexible material, and it deforms when the end of the link is driven by the manual rotation of the handle to open the contacts of the device.

Alternatively, the wall oriented substantially parallel to the front of a flange-type element secured to the housing can also be provided flexible, at least in the fastening area of the protuberance.

But the obstacle may also include, in addition to the protrusion, the protrusion of the contact carrier with which it cooperates to form a more complex obstacle. This possibility arises from the kinematics of the assembly, which is such that if the rod is retained in the intermediate position at the opening of the contacts, the contact carrier is itself on the path of its end, positioned next to the protuberance. The acknowledgment operation could then also be implemented by making the protrusion of the contact carrier flexible, and therefore deformable.

With respect to its traditional configuration in the absence of a signaling device according to the present invention, the trigger tip may comprise a recess forming a clearance in a portion likely to interfere with the protrusion constituting the obstacle, during their relative motion.

The path of the end of the rod released by the movable contact / trigger assembly is indeed very close to the components of said assembly, and it Of course, the obstacle does not interfere with the latter in normal operation.

• la figure 1 représente, en vue perspective, un flasque recouvrant au moins partiellement la manette et la serrure mécanique de l'appareil électrique de l'invention, muni d'un obstacle selon la présente invention ;
• la figure 2 montre, en vue perspective, un déclencheur modifié pour fonctionner selon la présente invention ;
• les figures 3a et 3b montrent l'ensemble manette de commande / serrure mécanique au cours de l'opération de fermeture des contacts ;
• la figure 4 représente, en vue en élévation, l'ensemble manette / serrure mécanique muni d'un flasque comportant l'obstacle de l'invention, et montrant le trajet de l'extrémité de la biellette lors de l'ouverture manuelle des contacts ; et
• les figures 5a et 5b montrent, en vue en élévation, l'ouverture des contacts suite à l'apparition d'un défaut sur une ligne, libérant une extrémité de la biellette (figure 5a) qui vient heurter l'obstacle (figure 5b), immobilisant la manette en position intermédiaire de signalisation.

The invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the figures, for which:

• the figure 1 represents, in perspective view, a flange at least partially covering the handle and the mechanical lock of the electrical apparatus of the invention, provided with an obstacle according to the present invention;
• the figure 2 shows, in perspective view, a trigger modified to operate according to the present invention;
• the Figures 3a and 3b show the control lever / mechanical lock assembly during the closing operation of the contacts;
• the figure 4 represents, in elevation view, the handle / mechanical lock assembly provided with a flange comprising the obstacle of the invention, and showing the path of the end of the link when the contacts are opened manually; and
• the Figures 5a and 5b show, in elevation view, the opening of the contacts following the appearance of a defect on a line, releasing one end of the link ( figure 5a ) that hits the obstacle ( figure 5b ), immobilizing the handle in the intermediate signaling position.

With reference to the figure 1 , the piece shown is a flange (1) with a protuberance (2) forming the obstacle which is the heart of the invention, a piece which is pressed against a portion of the handle and the lock. The use of this flange (1) relative to the lock of a circuit breaker-type electrical appliance will however be better understood with reference to the following figures and in particular to Figures 4 and 5b . Such lock mainly comprises three elements, a link (3) and a trigger assembly (4) / contact carrier (5) carrying the movable contact (6), the assembly forming a toggle. The trigger (4) is visible in figure 2 , having a recess (14) forming clearance for its free movement relative to the obstacle (2) placed on the flange (1). The invention does not relate to the operation of the lock itself, it will not be detailed in the following. Only aspects / phases of interest within the meaning of the invention will be explained. Thus, such a clearance (14) is for example not necessary on a trigger of a traditional lock operating without the system of the invention.

In the arming phase of the device, resulting in the closing of the power line, and as represented in Figures 3a and 3b , the manipulation of the handle in the direction of the arrow F rotates the assembly consisting of the trigger (4) and the contact carrier (5) so that the movable contact (6) approaches the fixed contact (7) to enter in contact with him. The operation is as follows: the rotation of the handle (8) is echoed to the rod (3) whose end (3a) is rotatably mounted at the periphery of the drum (8a) of the handle (8), the other end being in abutment against an outgrowth (9) of the contact carrier (5), and held in this position by a spout (10) of the trigger (4). This is an equilibrium position link (3) / trigger (4) / contact holder (5) which allows to operate the toggle, or to rotate the assembly contact holder (5) / trigger (4). The beginning of the movement appears in figure 3a , and the end of the movement is illustrated in the figure 3b . In this case, the protected line is closed, since the respectively mobile (6) and fixed (7) contacts are pressed against each other. These two figures do not include the flange 1 of the figure 1 , which comes in principle to press against them and would damage the clarity of the explanation by hiding certain parts of the lock.

The representation of this flange (1) is however necessary for the explanation which corresponds to the figure 4 , in which the reverse manipulation is performed: the handle (8) is controlled so that the contacts (6, 7) are spaced from each other, so as to open the line. In this case, the path t followed by the end (3b) of the rod (3) is strictly identical to the displacement corresponding to the closure of the contacts as illustrated in FIG. Figures 3a and 3b but in the opposite direction. In other words, the equilibrium link (3) / trigger (4) / contact carrier (5) is retained, the operation is simply reversed with respect to the arming phase described above. The protuberance (2) constituting the obstacle set up according to the invention does not interfere with the path t, the end (3b) of the rod (3) being too low.

Things do not go the same way when a fault occurs on the line, resulting in the lock being flipped, as shown in the Figures 5a and 5b . In this case, a magnetic or thermal actuator (not shown) exerts an action on the trigger (4), resulting in the rupture of the equilibrium link (3) / trigger (4) / contact carrier (5). The rod (3), and in particular its end (3b) is ejected upwards, as appears in figure 5a . The contact carrier return spring (5) (not shown) recalls the trigger assembly (4) / contact carrier (5) in open contact position (6, 7). Independently, return means (not visible) attached to the handle (8) tend to recall the entire handle (8) / link (3) in the position contacts (6, 7) open. The return means respectively of the contact-holder assembly (5) / trigger (4) and of the handle (8) / rod (3) assembly, however, are provided in such a way that their speed of movement is not the same. even. It is indeed quite fundamental that the contacts (6, 7) deviate at a high speed, whereas the return of the handle (8) / link (3) in open contacts position does not need to be fast. Their return is therefore always after the trigger assembly (4) / contact carrier (5).

Given the ejection of the end (3b) and the rod (3) to the front, the path taken by the latter, located a little higher in the housing, interferes with the position of the protuberance ( 2) protruding from the flange (1), as appears in figure 5b . The rotation of the handle (8) is then locked in an obviously intermediate position between the two closed contact end positions (see FIG. figure 4a ) and open contacts (see figure 5a ).

It is this particular positioning of the lever (8) in the front of the product which indicates that the opening of the contacts has occurred following an incident on the line.

The protuberance (2) is provided in a flexible material, so that the manipulation of the handle (8) in the direction of the arrow F 'is possible by bending said protuberance (2), which deforms and lets the rod pass (3) in the direction of the trigger assembly (4) / contact carrier (5), so that the end (3b) is inserted between the spout (10) and the protrusion (9) to recover its place and reform the initial equilibrium link (3) / trigger (4) / contact carrier (5).

The figure 5b shows that the end (3b) is actually retained by the protuberance (2) and the protrusion (9), located opposite one another: we could very well consider that the deformation of the obstacle that they together constitute either supported by said protrusion (9), then provided elastically deformable material, or by the protuberance (2) and the protrusion (9) together.

This acknowledgment operation, resulting in putting the product in the manual position of opening the contacts (6, 7) somehow resets the product, which can again be reset so as to close the line.

Claims (7)

1. Electrical line protection apparatus of the circuit breaker type comprising at least one pair of respectively fixed (7) and movable (6) contacts, a lever (8) for controlling said contacts (6, 7) between a first gap position and a second contact position, said lever (8) being connected to the movable contact (6) by means of a mechanical lock based on a toggle joint comprising, on the one hand, a link rod (3) and, on the other hand, an assembly pivoting against return means and comprising a movable contact holder (5) and a tripping device (4) mounted in relative rotation, the tripping device (4) cooperating with at least one actuator capable of passing on an electrical fault on the line, one of the ends (3a) of the link rod (3) being rotationally mounted on the periphery of the lever (8) and the other end (3b) being positioned in equilibrium in abutment against a protuberance (9) of the contact holder (5) and being held by a tip (10) of the tripping device (4), an action on the tripping device (4) causing it to rotate relative to the contact holder (5) and the lock to tilt under the effect of said return means by breaking said equilibrium, causing the end (3b) of the link rod (3) to be released beyond the protuberance (9) relative to the axis of rotation of the tripping device (4) / contact holder (5) assembly, return means connected to the lever (8) bringing said link rod (3) and its released end (3b) towards the axis of rotation of the lever (8) along a path outside of said assembly, characterised in that it comprises an obstacle (2) placed on said path that blocks the link rod (3) / lever (8) assembly in an intermediate position indicating the tripping of the lock following an electrical fault on a line, said obstacle (2) being at least partly retractable and/or deformable when the force exerted on the lever (8) is greater than the resultant force of the return means of the lever (8), and in that the obstacle comprises a projection (2) extending towards the inside of the frontage of the casing of the apparatus from which the control lever (8) projects, or extending towards the inside of a wall that orients itself substantially parallel to and in the vicinity of said frontage of an element of the shield type (1) integral with the casing and cooperating with the released end (3b) of the link rod (3).
2. Electrical line protection apparatus according to the preceding claim, characterised in that at least part of said obstacle (2) is provided in flexible material so that the full rotation of the lever (8) flexibly deforms it by means of the released end (3b) of the link rod (3).
3. Electrical line protection apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the projection (2) is made up of a flexible material.
4. Electrical line protection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wall that orients itself substantially parallel to the frontage of an element of the shield type (1) integral with the casing is flexible at least in the area for attaching the projection (2).
5. Electrical line protection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the obstacle comprises the projection (2) cooperating with the protuberance (9) of the contact holder (5).
6. Electrical line protection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the protuberance (9) of the contact holder (5) is flexible.
7. Electrical line protection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the tip (10) of the tripping device (4) comprises a recess (14) forming a clearance made in a portion that is likely to interfere with the projection (2) during their relative movement.

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