EP4173019A1 - Residual current fault indicator mechanism and circuit breaker with residual current fault indicator mechanism - Google Patents

Residual current fault indicator mechanism and circuit breaker with residual current fault indicator mechanism

Info

Publication number
EP4173019A1
EP4173019A1 EP21749829.4A EP21749829A EP4173019A1 EP 4173019 A1 EP4173019 A1 EP 4173019A1 EP 21749829 A EP21749829 A EP 21749829A EP 4173019 A1 EP4173019 A1 EP 4173019A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
circuit breaker
leakage fault
rod
trip
housing
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.)
Pending
Application number
EP21749829.4A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Ye Zhang
Andreas Mundt
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.)
Siemens AG
Original Assignee
Siemens AG
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 Siemens AG filed Critical Siemens AG
Publication of EP4173019A1 publication Critical patent/EP4173019A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

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
    • H01H71/04—Means for indicating condition of the switching device
    • 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
    • H01H71/10—Operating or release mechanisms
    • H01H71/12—Automatic release mechanisms with or without manual release
    • 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
    • H01H71/04—Means for indicating condition of the switching device
    • H01H2071/042—Means for indicating condition of the switching device with different indications for different conditions, e.g. contact position, overload, short circuit or earth leakage
    • 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
    • H01H71/10—Operating or release mechanisms
    • H01H71/1009—Interconnected mechanisms
    • H01H71/1027—Interconnected mechanisms comprising a bidirectional connecting member actuated by the opening movement of one pole to trip a neighbour pole
    • 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
    • H01H71/10—Operating or release mechanisms
    • H01H71/50—Manual reset mechanisms which may be also used for manual release
    • H01H71/52—Manual reset mechanisms which may be also used for manual release actuated by lever
    • H01H71/526—Manual reset mechanisms which may be also used for manual release actuated by lever the lever forming a toggle linkage with a second lever, the free end of which is directly and releasably engageable with a contact structure

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of lowvoltage electrics, and in par ticular to a leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker and a circuit breaker.
  • Residual-current circuit breaker with overcurrent protection (RCBO) prod ucts not only have the overload and short-circuit protection functions of gen eral miniature circuit breakers, but also have a residual current protection function for physical safety.
  • RCBO overcurrent protection
  • An objective of the present invention is to provide a leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, which can indicate a leakage fault when it has occurred, and has a simple structure, providing convenience in produc tion and assembly.
  • Another objective of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker with the above-described leakage fault indicator mechanism, which can not only indicate to a user whether a leakage fault has occurred, but also has a simple structure for ease of production and assembly.
  • the present invention provides a leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the circuit breaker comprising a housing and a handle that is rotat ably connected to the housing.
  • the housing comprises a leakage fault trip ping member and an action connecting rod.
  • the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker comprises an indicator and a driving assem bly that is used for leakage fault protection.
  • the indicator is rotatably con nected to the housing, and a first reset elastic element is connected between the indicator and the housing.
  • the driving assembly is arranged in the housing and, as driven by the handle, the driving assembly is switchable to a closed and locked state.
  • a leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention completely independent of the switching function of a cir cuit breaker, does not perform an action due to a normal action or an over load or short-circuit protection action of the circuit breaker, having great in dependence, and can ensure that no improper fault information is transmit ted to a user due to an improper action, providing high reliability and safety.
  • the leakage fault indicator mechanism since it is completely independent of the switch function of a circuit breaker, the leakage fault indicator mechanism may be made into an independent unit of the circuit breaker, and a user can decide whether to choose it or not, thereby reducing costs.
  • the indicator comprises an indicator body and a connecting portion.
  • the indicator body is provided with an indication area.
  • the connect ing portion extends along the axial direction of the indicator body, the con necting portion being used for connecting the handle.
  • the connecting portion is rotatable from a first initial position to a first lock ing position, and, under the action of the first reset elastic element, the con necting portion can return from the first locking position to the first initial position.
  • the connecting portion when a leakage fault occurs, returns to the first initial position, and the indication area is at least partially exposed outside the housing.
  • an accommodating groove is provided on the handle.
  • the connecting portion extends into the accommodating groove and is slidable in the accommodating groove.
  • the inner wall of one side of the accommodating groove is a driving surface that is able to push the connecting portion to rotate.
  • the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker further comprises a mounting housing; the indicator and the handle are assembled on the mounting housing and bridged on either side of the mounting housing, which facilitates assembly.
  • the driving assembly comprises a trip, a driving rod, a locking rod, an energy storage rod, and a coupling rod.
  • the trip comprises a trip body and a trip arm. Both ends of the driving rod are rotatably connected to the indicator and the trip body, respectively.
  • the locking rod is pivotally connected to the housing.
  • a second reset elastic element is connected be tween the energy storage rod and the housing. Both ends of the coupling rod are rotatably connected to the trip body and the energy storage rod, respec tively.
  • a third reset elastic element is connected between the lock ing rod and the housing.
  • the trip moves from a second initial position to a second locking position, and drives the energy storage rod to compress the second reset elastic element.
  • the locking rod can lock the trip and, after the push rod pushes the locking rod to become separated from the trip, the energy storage rod can drive the trip to rotate.
  • the trip body has a boss.
  • the action connecting rod compris ⁇ es a driving arm that has a flange.
  • the trip arm has an avoidance groove. If the driving assem ⁇ bly is in a closed and locked state, when the action connecting rod moves, the flange can pass through the avoidance groove to ensure that when the circuit breaker performs an overload or short-circuit protection action, the leakage fault indicator mechanism is independent of the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker.
  • the action connecting rod further comprises a linkage arm, the driving arm and the linkage arm are respectively located in different chambers of the module in which they are located, and the linkage arm can unlock the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker.
  • the housing further comprises a linkage member, which is used to connect another module of the circuit breaker; the linkage member is connected with the action connecting rod and rotatable as driven by the ac ⁇ tion connecting rod.
  • the present invention provides a circuit breaker, which comprises the above-described leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker.
  • the leakage fault indicator mechanism completely independent of the switching function of a circuit breaker, does not perform an action due to a normal ac tion or an overload or short-circuit protection action of the circuit breaker, having great independence, and can ensure that no improper fault infor mation is transmitted to a user due to an improper action, providing high re liability and safety.
  • since it is completely independent of the switch function of a circuit breaker convenience of production and assembly is provided.
  • Figure 1 shows a schematic structural diagram for a circuit breaker with a leakage fault indicator mechanism according to an embodiment of the pre sent invention
  • Figure 2 shows a schematic structural diagram for a leakage fault indicator mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 3 shows an exploded schematic diagram for the structure of the leak age fault indicator mechanism in Figure 2;
  • Figure 4 shows an exploded schematic diagram for a partial structure of the leakage fault indicator mechanism in Figure 2;
  • Figure 5 shows a partial enlarged view of the M area in Figure 2;
  • Figure 6 shows a schematic structural diagram for the trip in Figure 2;
  • Figure 7 shows a schematic structural diagram for the action connecting rod in Figure 2;
  • FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the process of closing a circuit breaker
  • Figure 10 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indica tor mechanism when a circuit breaker of the present invention is normally opened;
  • Figure 11 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indica tor mechanism when a circuit breaker of the present invention is opened due to an overload or short-circuit fault
  • Figure 12 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indica tor mechanism when the circuit breaker of the present invention unlocks the driving assembly due to a leakage fault
  • Figure 13 shows a schematic structural diagram for the L pole of the circuit breaker in Figure l;
  • Figure 14 shows an exploded schematic diagram for the structure of the L pole in Figure 13;
  • Figure 15 shows a schematic structural diagram for the handle in Figure 13;
  • Figure 16 shows a schematic structural diagram for the arcuate connecting rod in Figure 13;
  • Figure 17 shows a schematic structural diagram for the shared tripping member in Figure 13;
  • Figure 18 shows a schematic structural diagram for the L pole when the cir cuit breaker of the present invention is closed.
  • Figure 19 shows a schematic structural diagram when the L pole in Figure 13 is unlocked due to the performance of a circuit breaker protection action.
  • the reference numerals used in the drawings are as follows:
  • 300 leakage fault tripping member; 723: second bending portion; 310: push rod; 724: second connection end;
  • modulus herein is used to indicate the width of a circuit breaker. Usu ally, a modulus is 18 mm.
  • FIG. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram for a schematic em bodiment of a circuit breaker with a leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention.
  • the circuit breaker 10 comprises two modules 11 and 12, wherein a first chamber of the first module 11 is provided with a leakage fault indicator mechanism, and a second chamber is provided with an operating mechanism.
  • a user can, by means of the indicator 400 of the leakage fault indi cator mechanism, analyze whether a leakage fault has occurred.
  • the number of modules of a circuit breaker of the present invention may also be greater than two.
  • the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker comprises a contact assem bly and an executive assembly. The operating mechanism can control the con tacting and separation between contacts to open and close a current circuit.
  • Both the first module 11 and the second module 12 shown in Figure 1 have a modulus width.
  • the first module 11 comprises a housing 100, a handle 200, a leakage fault indi cator mechanism, a leakage fault tripping member 300, and an action con necting rod 610, wherein the leakage fault indicator mechanism comprises an indicator 400 and a driving assembly 500 for leakage fault protection.
  • the handle 200 and the indicator 400 are rotatably connected to the housing 100, respectively.
  • the leakage fault tripping member 300, the action con necting rod 610, and the driving assembly 500 are arranged in the housing 100.
  • a first reset elastic element 430 is also connected between the indicator 400 and the housing 100.
  • the driving assembly 500 When a user manually closes the first module 11, as driven by the handle 200, the driving assembly 500 is switchable to a closed and locked state.
  • the push rod 310 of the leakage fault tripping member 300 unlocks the driving assembly 500, so that as driven by the driv ing assembly 500, the action connecting rod 610 opens the circuit breaker, and the handle 200 is reset; as driven by the first reset elastic element 430, the indicator 400 rotates and indicates the leakage fault.
  • the first reset elas tic element 430 may be a spring.
  • the leakage fault indicator mechanism of this embodiment is completely in dependent of the switching function of a circuit breaker. Specifically, the leakage fault indicator mechanism is initially closed with the closing of the handle 200; after that, it no longer performs an action with a normal opening or closing operation of the handle 200, nor does it perform an action with a tripping action of the circuit breaker due to the overload and overcurrent protection function; the driving assembly 500 of the leakage fault indicator mechanism is unlocked by the push rod 310 of the leakage fault tripping member only when a leakage fault endangering personal safety occurs; in addition, the indicator 400 remains in the fault indication state; the fault display is not cancelled until the user, having become clear about and cor- rected the fault, manually closes the handle of the circuit breaker again.
  • the housing 100 further comprises a linkage member 620, which is used to connect another module of the circuit breaker; the linkage member 620 is connected to the action connecting rod 610 and may be driven by the action connecting rod 610 to rotate.
  • the driving assembly 500 com prises a trip 510, a driving rod 520, a locking rod 530, an energy storage rod 540, and a coupling rod 550.
  • the trip 510 comprises a trip body 512 and a trip arm 511 (see Figure 6). Both ends of the driving rod 520 are rotatably connected to the indicator 400 and the trip body 512, respectively, wherein one end of the driving rod 520 ex tends into the guide groove 112; under the action of the driving rod 520, the trip body 512 is movable along the guide groove 112.
  • the locking rod 530 is pivotally connected to the housing 100, and one of its ends can abut against and lock the trip arm 511.
  • a third reset elastic element 531 may further be connected between the locking rod 530 and the housing 100.
  • a second reset elastic element 541 is connected between the energy storage rod 540 and the housing 100.
  • Both ends of the coupling rod 550 are rotatably connected to the trip body 512 and the energy storage rod 540, respectively.
  • the energy storage rod 540 can compress the second reset elastic element 541 to store energy.
  • the second reset elastic return element 541 and the third elastic reset return element 531 may be springs.
  • the indicator 400 com prises an indicator body 410 and a connecting portion 420.
  • the indicator body 410 is provided with an indication area 411.
  • the connecting portion 420 extends along the axial direction of the indicator body 410 and is used to connect the handle 200. Specifically, as driven by the handle 200, the con- necting portion 420 is rotatable from a first initial position to a first locking position.
  • the connecting portion 420 in Figure 4 is located in the first initial position.
  • the connecting portion 420 can return from the first locking position to the first initial position, and the indication area 411 is at least partially exposed outside the housing 100; for example, the indication area 411 shown in Figure 4 is fully exposed outside the housing 100.
  • the indica tion area 411 may adopt a special color, a special mark, or a transparent material.
  • the body of the handle 200 is provided with an accommodating groove 211.
  • the connecting portion 420 is extensible into the accommodating groove 211 and slidable in the accommodating groove 211.
  • the inner wall of one side of the accommodating groove 211 is configured as a driving surface 2111, and the handle 200 push es the connecting portion 420 to rotate through the driving surface 2111.
  • the body of the handle 200 may have a width of half a modulus, and the accommodating groove 211 may be in the shape of a circular ring.
  • the first module 11 further comprises a mounting housing 110.
  • the indicator 400 and the han dle 200 may be respectively assembled on two positioning pins 111 of the mounting housing 110 and bridged on either side of the mounting housing 110.
  • the connecting portion 420 passes through the arcuate groove of the mounting housing 110 and extends into the accom modating groove 211.
  • the trip 510 comprises a trip body 512 and a trip arm 511.
  • the trip 510 can collide with the action connecting rod 610, and the trip 510 drives the action connecting rod 610 to move.
  • the action con necting rod 610 when moving, can avoid the trip 510 and the locking rod
  • a boss 5121 is provided on the trip body 512.
  • the action connecting rod 610 comprises a driving arm 611, and the driving arm 611 is provided with a flange 6112.
  • the boss 5121 can act on the flange 6112 and drive the action connecting rod 610 to move. This embodiment can ensure that the leakage fault indica tor mechanism, while indicating a leakage fault, unlocks the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker to improve safety.
  • an avoidance groove 5111 is further provided on the trip arm 510. If the driving assembly 500 is in a closed and locked state, the flange 6112 of the driving arm 611 can pass through the avoidance groove 5111 when the action connecting rod 610 moves.
  • the action connecting rod 610 may further comprise a linkage arm 612.
  • the driving arm 611 and the linkage arm 612 are respectively located in different chambers of the module to which they belong, and the linkage arm 612 can unlock the operating mechanism of the chamber in which it is located to open the circuit breaker.
  • the action connecting rod 610 can realize the perfor mance of a coordinated action when the circuit breaker fails or a leakage fault occurs.
  • FIG 8 See Figure 8 and Figure 9, which illustrate the process of closing the circuit breaker.
  • the handle 200 and the indicator 400 are both in the in itial state! the connecting portion 420 of the indicator 400 is located in the first initial position, and the indication area 411 is exposed outside the housing 100; and the trip 510 is located in the second initial position.
  • the handle 200 is in a closed state.
  • the connecting portion 420 of the indicator 400 is located in the first locking position, the indication area 411 is hidden inside the housing 100, and the trip 510 is located in the second locking position.
  • the ac commodating groove 211 of the handle 200 pushes the connecting portion 430 of the indicator 400 to rotate, thereby causing the leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention to perform a closing operation.
  • the trip 510 moves along the guide groove 112 under the action of the driving rod 520.
  • the energy storage rod 540 as driven by the coupling rod 550, by using the contact surface of the support member 113 as a support point, compresses the second reset elastic element 541 to store energy.
  • the driving assembly 500 is in a closed and locked state.
  • FIG 10 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indicator mechanism when the circuit breaker of the present invention is normally opened.
  • the handle 200 returns to the initial state, the indicator 400 remains in the closed state, and the connecting portion 420 remains in the first locking position.
  • FIG 11 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indicator mechanism when the circuit breaker of the present invention is opened due to an overload or short-circuit fault.
  • the handle 200 returns to the initial state, the indicator 400 remains in the closed state, and the connecting portion 420 remains in the first locking position.
  • the process of opening the circuit breaker due to an overload or short-circuit fault will be described below in conjunction with Figures 9 and 11.
  • the posi tion of the action connecting rod 610 changes, and the end of the driving arm 611 moves downwards in the direction of the guide groove 112.
  • the avoidance groove 5111 is provided on the trip arm 511, the flange 6112 of the driving arm 611 can pass through the avoidance groove 5111.
  • the limit guide 6111 of the driving arm 611 can smoothly avoid the trip arm 511 and the locking rod 530 and pass through the lower side thereof. Therefore, move ment of the action connecting rod 610 cannot interfere with the leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention, and the leakage fault indicator mechanism remains in a closed and locked state. This can ensure that the leakage fault indicator mechanism is independent of the operating mecha nism of the circuit breaker.
  • FIG 12 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indicator mechanism when the circuit breaker of the present invention unlocks the driving assembly due to a leakage fault.
  • the process of opening the circuit breaker due to a leakage fault will be described below in conjunc tion with Figures 9, 12, and 8.
  • the push rod 310 of the leakage fault tripping member 300 is released and ejected.
  • the trip arm 511 is separated from the locking rod 530. Therefore, the trip 510 is unlocked.
  • the energy storage rod 540 and the coupling rod 550 move rapidly.
  • the trip 510 makes a rapid rotating movement centering on one end of the driving rod 520.
  • the boss 5121 of the trip body 512 collides with the flange 6112 of the action connecting rod 610, causing the action connect ing rod 610 to move by linkage, thereby further unlocking the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker, so that the entire circuit breaker is opened.
  • the entire movement process is shown in Figures 9, 12, and 8.
  • the handle 200 and the indicator 400 rotate to return to the initial state under the ac tion of the fourth elastic element 220 and the first elastic element 430, re spectively.
  • the fourth reset elastic element 220 may be a spring.
  • the leakage fault indicator mechanism is driven to perform a reset and closing operation, and then the handle 200 is separated from the leakage fault indicator mechanism to ensure the stability of the fault indicator mechanism; when a leakage fault occurs, the driving assembly 500 actively collides with the action connecting rod 610 to move, thereby releasing the entire product for disconnection.
  • a coordinated action with the existing mechanism of the circuit breaker is achieved.
  • the present invention further provides a circuit breaker, which comprises the leakage fault indicator mechanism of any one of the above -described em bodiments.
  • a circuit breaker is highly reliable and safe.
  • multi-pole standard-sized RCBOs are designed on the basis of the layout of compact 1PN products.
  • a compact 1PN circuit breaker product which usually has an L-pole operat ing mechanism and an N-pole operating mechanism, is of an L/N integrated type or L/N split type. Regardless of which of the above-described methods is adopted, the operation is driven by the same handle and connecting rod, so that the L pole and N pole are opened and closed synchronously, and the connecting rod and main mechanism parts are not assembled on the same side of the product.
  • two methods are adopted in the existing design: (l) in a compact space (about 1.5 moduli), controlling the opening and closing of the two L poles by driving the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker with the same handle and connecting rod; with this method, one set of mechanisms still controls the opening and closing of the two contacts, which is not flexible enough; and (2) controlling, with the unipolar operating mechanism, the opening and closing of a unipolar contact, and reducing the overall size of the arc-extinguishing system by half for the placement of a leakage function component; with this method, the breaking performance of the product is sacrificed.
  • the present invention proposes a new design solution, which will be described below with reference to Figures 13 to 19.
  • FIG. 13 shows a schematic structural diagram for an embodi ment of the L pole of the circuit breaker in Figure 1. Specifically, both the L pole of the first module 11 and that of the second module 12 can adopt this structure.
  • the L pole operating mechanism uses an arcuate con necting rod 720.
  • This operating mechanism allows the contacting and sepa ration between the movable contact assembly and the static contact assembly, and the connection with external accessories allows switch control or signal transmission. It occupies a small space (half a modulus), carries a low cost, and is easy to assemble.
  • the second module 12 comprises a housing, a han dle 760, an arcuate connecting rod 720, a trip 710, a coupling rod 750, a locking rod 730, a shared tripping member 900, a contact assembly 740, and a static contact assembly 800.
  • the handle 760 and the shared tripping member 900 are rotatably connected to the housing, respectively.
  • the arcuate connecting rod 720, the trip 710, the locking rod 730, the movable contact assembly 740, and the coupling rod 750 are arranged in the housing.
  • the locking rod 730 is pivotally connected to the housing.
  • a reset spring 763 is connected between the handle 760 and the housing, and the handle 760 has a width of half a modulus (the width of an entire modulus may also be used according to design requirements).
  • a pressure spring 741 is connected between the movable contact assembly 740 and the housing.
  • the handle 760 is provided with a handle hole 761, a reset spring mounting cavity 762, and a limit portion 764.
  • the handle hole 761 is used to connect one end of the arcuate connecting rod 720.
  • the reset spring mounting cavity 762 is used to mount the reset spring 763.
  • the limit portion 764 is used to limit the rotation of the reset spring 763.
  • the arcuate connecting rod 720 comprises a first connecting end 721, a first bending portion 722, a second bending portion 723, and a second connecting end 724, wherein the first connecting end 721 is connected to the handle 760, and the second connecting end 724 is connected to the trip 710.
  • a bending angle is formed between the first bending portion 722 and the second bending portion 723.
  • See Figure 19 which shows that a bending angle is provided on the arcuate connecting rod 720, so that the ar cuate connecting rod 720 can avoid the coupling rod 750 during movement.
  • a plurality of bending angles may be provided between the first connecting end 721 and the second connecting end 724 as required. The ar rangement of a plurality of bending angles can further ensure that the arcu ate connecting rod 720 avoids the coupling rod 750 during movement.
  • the shared tripping member 900 comprises a shared tripping member body and a tripping member driving arm 920, wherein both ends of the main body of the shared tripping member are re spectively provided with a tripping member connecting groove 910 and a tripping member connecting pin 930; a tripping member collision boss 921 is provided at the end of the tripping member driving arm 920.
  • the shared tripping member 900 can realize the tripping control of adjacent poles in the case of multi-pole splicing (or splicing with external accessories).
  • an automatic disconnection due to an action of the protection function requires the shared tripping member 900.
  • the tripping member connecting pin 930 of the shared tripping member 900 is connected to the tripping member connecting groove of another shared tripping member.
  • the tripping member of the tripping member driving arm 920 will collide with the boss 921 to drive the shared tripping member 900 to make a rotary movement, and the rotary movement will, through the tripping member connecting pin 930, drive the shared trip ping member of another pole to rotate together with it.
  • the shared tripping member driving arm will push the locking rod to rotate, unlock the operating mechanism of the corre sponding pole, and break off its contact.
  • FIG 13 shows the initial state in which the user has not closed the L-pole operating mechanism.
  • the user pushes the handle 760 to rotate counterclockwise.
  • the second connecting end 724 of the arcuate connecting rod 720 is driven to move downwards along the guide groove on the housing.
  • the trip arm of the trip 710 comes into contact with one end of the locking rod 730 and is locked by the locking rod 730; then, through the coupling rod 750, the trip 710 drives the movable contact assembly 740 to move until the mov able contact assembly 740 comes into contact with the static contact assem bly 800 to complete the closing operation.
  • the L-pole operating mechanism at this point is shown in Figure 18.
  • Figure 18 shows a schematic diagram for the L-pole structure when the cir cuit breaker is closed.
  • the handle 760 drives the arcuate connecting rod 720 to move upwards along the guide groove on the housing, and the movable contact assembly 740 is driven by the pressure spring 741 to quickly leave the static contact assembly 800 until the movable contact assembly 740 col lides with the limit portion of the housing.
  • the trip 710 and the coupling rod 750 are reset to complete the disconnection operation.
  • FIG 19 shows a schematic structural diagram when the L pole in Figure 13 is unlocked due to an action of the circuit breaker protection function.
  • the process in which the L pole operating mechanism is discon nected due to the protection function will be described below in conjunction with Figures 18, 19, and 13.
  • the actuator of the thermal system or the magnetic system will push or pull the locking rod 730 to rotate, and the locking rod 730 leaves the position in which it is in contact with the trip 710; the trip arm of the trip 710 loses the support from the locking rod 730 and thus unlocks the operating mechanism.
  • the movable contact assembly 740 and the cou pling rod 750 quickly move and reset. At this point, the handle 760, not quick enough to react, remains in the closed position.
  • the trip 710 centering on the second connecting end 724 of the arcuate connecting rod 720, rapidly ro tates and moves to the limit feature of the housing.
  • the arcuate feature of the arcuate connecting rod 720 can better avoid the boss feature of the trip 710, and the bending angle of the arcuate connecting rod 720 can avoid the coupling rod 750, so that the tripping process is completed smoothly. Then, under the action of the reset spring 763, the handle 760 and the trip 510 re turn to the opened position.
  • a single operating mechanism controls only one contact, which may be more flexibly applied to various types of products (such as 2P, 3P, and 4P products); in addition, the operating mechanism occupies a small space; it occupies only a half of a modulus space of the module, and the other half of the modulus space may be used for the following functions ⁇ (l) If a set of mechanisms is assembled, an auxiliary switch (AS) or fault indication (FC) function may be realized; (2) if a set of electronic components is assembled, a number of other control functions (such as communication, remote control, and automatic reclos- ing) may be realized.
  • AS auxiliary switch
  • FC fault indication
  • This new operating mechanism can optimize the assembly process, allowing the assembly of all the parts on one side to reduce production costs.
  • a complete set of inde pendent operating mechanisms may be assembled in the corresponding space of the other half, so as to realize the control of a bipolar product with two handles.

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Abstract

The present invention provides a leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, which comprises an indicator and a driving assembly that is used for leakage fault protection. The indicator is rotatably connected to a housing, and a first reset elastic element is connected between the indicator and the housing. The driving assembly is arranged in the housing, and the driving assembly is switchable to a closed and locked state as driven by a handle. When a leakage fault occurs, the push rod of the leakage fault tripping member unlocks the driving assembly, so that as driven by the driving assembly, the action connecting rod opens the circuit breaker, and as driven by the first reset elastic element, the indicator rotates and indicates the leakage fault. A leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention is completely independent of the switching function of a circuit breaker, and may be used as an independent unit of a circuit breaker, having great independence and high reliability. The present invention further provides a circuit breaker with the above-described leakage fault indicator mechanism.

Description

RESIDUAL CURRENT FAULT INDICATOR MECHANISM AND CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH RESIDUAL CURRENT FAULT INDICATOR MECHANISM
Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of lowvoltage electrics, and in par ticular to a leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker and a circuit breaker.
Background Art
Residual-current circuit breaker with overcurrent protection (RCBO) prod ucts not only have the overload and short-circuit protection functions of gen eral miniature circuit breakers, but also have a residual current protection function for physical safety. However, with an existing RCBO product, no matter what kind of fault occurs, the circuit breaker product will trip. If a client is unable, based on the appearance of the RCBO, to distinguish the specific type of fault that caused the trip, then a potential safety hazard is posed. In particular, when a life-threatening leakage fault occurs, if the switch is rashly closed, then a potential life -threatening hazard is posed. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a set of leakage fault indicator mecha nisms on the product to indicate the type of a fault. However, most of the ex isting leakage fault indicator mechanisms are complicated, which causes considerable inconvenience in production and assembly.
Summary of the Invention
An objective of the present invention is to provide a leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, which can indicate a leakage fault when it has occurred, and has a simple structure, providing convenience in produc tion and assembly.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker with the above-described leakage fault indicator mechanism, which can not only indicate to a user whether a leakage fault has occurred, but also has a simple structure for ease of production and assembly.
The present invention provides a leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the circuit breaker comprising a housing and a handle that is rotat ably connected to the housing. The housing comprises a leakage fault trip ping member and an action connecting rod. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker comprises an indicator and a driving assem bly that is used for leakage fault protection. The indicator is rotatably con nected to the housing, and a first reset elastic element is connected between the indicator and the housing. The driving assembly is arranged in the housing and, as driven by the handle, the driving assembly is switchable to a closed and locked state. When a leakage fault occurs, the push rod of the leakage fault tripping member unlocks the driving assembly, so that as driven by the driving assembly, the action connecting rod opens the circuit breaker, and as driven by the first reset elastic element, the indicator rotates and indicates the leakage fault. A leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention, completely independent of the switching function of a cir cuit breaker, does not perform an action due to a normal action or an over load or short-circuit protection action of the circuit breaker, having great in dependence, and can ensure that no improper fault information is transmit ted to a user due to an improper action, providing high reliability and safety. In addition, since it is completely independent of the switch function of a circuit breaker, the leakage fault indicator mechanism may be made into an independent unit of the circuit breaker, and a user can decide whether to choose it or not, thereby reducing costs.
In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the indicator comprises an indicator body and a connecting portion. The indicator body is provided with an indication area. The connect ing portion extends along the axial direction of the indicator body, the con necting portion being used for connecting the handle. As driven by the handle, the connecting portion is rotatable from a first initial position to a first lock ing position, and, under the action of the first reset elastic element, the con necting portion can return from the first locking position to the first initial position.
In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, when a leakage fault occurs, the connecting portion returns to the first initial position, and the indication area is at least partially exposed outside the housing.
In yet another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, an accommodating groove is provided on the handle. The connecting portion extends into the accommodating groove and is slidable in the accommodating groove.
In yet another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the inner wall of one side of the accommodating groove is a driving surface that is able to push the connecting portion to rotate.
In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, it further comprises a mounting housing; the indicator and the handle are assembled on the mounting housing and bridged on either side of the mounting housing, which facilitates assembly.
In yet another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the driving assembly comprises a trip, a driving rod, a locking rod, an energy storage rod, and a coupling rod. The trip comprises a trip body and a trip arm. Both ends of the driving rod are rotatably connected to the indicator and the trip body, respectively. The locking rod is pivotally connected to the housing. A second reset elastic element is connected be tween the energy storage rod and the housing. Both ends of the coupling rod are rotatably connected to the trip body and the energy storage rod, respec tively. Such a driving assembly is highly reliable.
In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, a third reset elastic element is connected between the lock ing rod and the housing.
In another exemplary embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, as driven by the indicator, the trip moves from a second initial position to a second locking position, and drives the energy storage rod to compress the second reset elastic element. In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the locking rod can lock the trip and, after the push rod pushes the locking rod to become separated from the trip, the energy storage rod can drive the trip to rotate.
In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the trip body has a boss. The action connecting rod compris¬ es a driving arm that has a flange. After the locking rod is separated from the trip, when the energy storage rod drives the trip to rotate, the boss can act on the flange and drive the action connecting rod to move, so as to ensure that the leakage fault indicator mechanism can, while indicating a leakage fault, unlock the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker to improve safety.
In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the trip arm has an avoidance groove. If the driving assem¬ bly is in a closed and locked state, when the action connecting rod moves, the flange can pass through the avoidance groove to ensure that when the circuit breaker performs an overload or short-circuit protection action, the leakage fault indicator mechanism is independent of the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker.
In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the action connecting rod further comprises a linkage arm, the driving arm and the linkage arm are respectively located in different chambers of the module in which they are located, and the linkage arm can unlock the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker.
In another illustrative embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the housing further comprises a linkage member, which is used to connect another module of the circuit breaker; the linkage member is connected with the action connecting rod and rotatable as driven by the ac¬ tion connecting rod. The present invention provides a circuit breaker, which comprises the above-described leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker. The leakage fault indicator mechanism, completely independent of the switching function of a circuit breaker, does not perform an action due to a normal ac tion or an overload or short-circuit protection action of the circuit breaker, having great independence, and can ensure that no improper fault infor mation is transmitted to a user due to an improper action, providing high re liability and safety. In addition, since it is completely independent of the switch function of a circuit breaker, convenience of production and assembly is provided.
Brief Description of the Drawings Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, allowing those of ordinary skill in the art to have a clearer understanding of the above-described and other features and advantages of the present invention. Among the drawings,
Figure 1 shows a schematic structural diagram for a circuit breaker with a leakage fault indicator mechanism according to an embodiment of the pre sent invention;
Figure 2 shows a schematic structural diagram for a leakage fault indicator mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 shows an exploded schematic diagram for the structure of the leak age fault indicator mechanism in Figure 2;
Figure 4 shows an exploded schematic diagram for a partial structure of the leakage fault indicator mechanism in Figure 2;
Figure 5 shows a partial enlarged view of the M area in Figure 2;
Figure 6 shows a schematic structural diagram for the trip in Figure 2;
Figure 7 shows a schematic structural diagram for the action connecting rod in Figure 2;
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the process of closing a circuit breaker;
Figure 10 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indica tor mechanism when a circuit breaker of the present invention is normally opened;
Figure 11 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indica tor mechanism when a circuit breaker of the present invention is opened due to an overload or short-circuit fault;
Figure 12 shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indica tor mechanism when the circuit breaker of the present invention unlocks the driving assembly due to a leakage fault;
Figure 13 shows a schematic structural diagram for the L pole of the circuit breaker in Figure l;
Figure 14 shows an exploded schematic diagram for the structure of the L pole in Figure 13;
Figure 15 shows a schematic structural diagram for the handle in Figure 13;
Figure 16 shows a schematic structural diagram for the arcuate connecting rod in Figure 13;
Figure 17 shows a schematic structural diagram for the shared tripping member in Figure 13;
Figure 18 shows a schematic structural diagram for the L pole when the cir cuit breaker of the present invention is closed; and
Figure 19 shows a schematic structural diagram when the L pole in Figure 13 is unlocked due to the performance of a circuit breaker protection action. The reference numerals used in the drawings are as follows:
100: housing; 610: action connecting rod;
110: mounting housing; 611: driving arm;
111: positioning pin; 35 6111: limit guide;
112: guide groove; 6112: flange;
113: support member; 612: linkage arm;
200: handle; 620: linkage member;
210: handle body; 710: trip;
211: accommodating groove; 40 720: arcuate connecting rod;
2111: driving surface; 721: first connection end;
220: fourth reset elastic element; 722: first bending portion;
300: leakage fault tripping member; 723: second bending portion; 310: push rod; 724: second connection end;
400: indicator; 45 730: locking rod;
410: indicator body; 740: movable contact assembly;
411: indication area; 741: pressure spring;
420: connecting portion; 750: coupling rod;
430: first reset elastic element; 760: handle;
500: driving assembly; 50 761: handle hole;
510: trip; 762: reset spring mounting cavity;
511 trip arm; 763: reset spring;
5111: avoidance groove; 7644imit portion;
512: trip body; 800: static contact assembly;
5121: boss; 55 900: shared tripping member;
520: driving rod; 910: Tripping member connection
530: locking rod; groove;
531: third reset elastic element; 920: tripping drive arm;
540: energy storage rod; 921: Tripping member collision boss;
541: second reset elastic element; 60 and 550: coupling rod; 930: Tripping member connecting pin Specific Embodiments
In order to provide a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives and effects of the present invention, specific embodiments of the present inven tion will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals in each figure indicate components that have the same structure or components that have similar structures but the same function.
"Schematic" herein means "serving as an example, instance, or explanation", and any illustration or embodiment described as "schematic" herein should not be construed as a more preferred or advantageous technical solution.
For the sake of brevity of the drawings, each drawing only schematically shows parts related to the present invention, and they do not represent the actual structure of the product. In addition, in order to make the drawings concise and easy to understand, in some drawings, only one of the components that have the same structure or function is schematically shown, or only one of them is marked.
"One" herein not only means "only this one", but can also mean "more than one". "First", "second", etc. herein do not indicate their degree of importance, sequence, etc., but are only used to indicate differences between them for ease of description herein. "Modulus" herein is used to indicate the width of a circuit breaker. Usu ally, a modulus is 18 mm.
See Figure 1, which shows a schematic structural diagram for a schematic em bodiment of a circuit breaker with a leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention. The circuit breaker 10 comprises two modules 11 and 12, wherein a first chamber of the first module 11 is provided with a leakage fault indicator mechanism, and a second chamber is provided with an operating mechanism. A user can, by means of the indicator 400 of the leakage fault indi cator mechanism, analyze whether a leakage fault has occurred. The number of modules of a circuit breaker of the present invention may also be greater than two. The operating mechanism of the circuit breaker comprises a contact assem bly and an executive assembly. The operating mechanism can control the con tacting and separation between contacts to open and close a current circuit. Both the first module 11 and the second module 12 shown in Figure 1 have a modulus width.
See Figure 2, which shows a schematic structural diagram for an embodiment of the leakage fault indicator mechanism in the first module 11 in Figure 1. The first module 11 comprises a housing 100, a handle 200, a leakage fault indi cator mechanism, a leakage fault tripping member 300, and an action con necting rod 610, wherein the leakage fault indicator mechanism comprises an indicator 400 and a driving assembly 500 for leakage fault protection.
The handle 200 and the indicator 400 are rotatably connected to the housing 100, respectively. The leakage fault tripping member 300, the action con necting rod 610, and the driving assembly 500 are arranged in the housing 100. A first reset elastic element 430 is also connected between the indicator 400 and the housing 100.
When a user manually closes the first module 11, as driven by the handle 200, the driving assembly 500 is switchable to a closed and locked state. When a leakage fault occurs, the push rod 310 of the leakage fault tripping member 300 unlocks the driving assembly 500, so that as driven by the driv ing assembly 500, the action connecting rod 610 opens the circuit breaker, and the handle 200 is reset; as driven by the first reset elastic element 430, the indicator 400 rotates and indicates the leakage fault. The first reset elas tic element 430 may be a spring.
The leakage fault indicator mechanism of this embodiment is completely in dependent of the switching function of a circuit breaker. Specifically, the leakage fault indicator mechanism is initially closed with the closing of the handle 200; after that, it no longer performs an action with a normal opening or closing operation of the handle 200, nor does it perform an action with a tripping action of the circuit breaker due to the overload and overcurrent protection function; the driving assembly 500 of the leakage fault indicator mechanism is unlocked by the push rod 310 of the leakage fault tripping member only when a leakage fault endangering personal safety occurs; in addition, the indicator 400 remains in the fault indication state; the fault display is not cancelled until the user, having become clear about and cor- rected the fault, manually closes the handle of the circuit breaker again.
In an optional embodiment, the housing 100 further comprises a linkage member 620, which is used to connect another module of the circuit breaker; the linkage member 620 is connected to the action connecting rod 610 and may be driven by the action connecting rod 610 to rotate.
See Figure 3, which shows an exploded schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indicator mechanism in Figure 2. The driving assembly 500 com prises a trip 510, a driving rod 520, a locking rod 530, an energy storage rod 540, and a coupling rod 550.
See Figure 5, which shows a partial enlarged view of the M area in Figure 2. The trip 510 comprises a trip body 512 and a trip arm 511 (see Figure 6). Both ends of the driving rod 520 are rotatably connected to the indicator 400 and the trip body 512, respectively, wherein one end of the driving rod 520 ex tends into the guide groove 112; under the action of the driving rod 520, the trip body 512 is movable along the guide groove 112. The locking rod 530 is pivotally connected to the housing 100, and one of its ends can abut against and lock the trip arm 511. A third reset elastic element 531 may further be connected between the locking rod 530 and the housing 100. A second reset elastic element 541 is connected between the energy storage rod 540 and the housing 100. Both ends of the coupling rod 550 are rotatably connected to the trip body 512 and the energy storage rod 540, respectively. When the trip body 512 moves towards a second locking position along the guide groove 112, the energy storage rod 540 can compress the second reset elastic element 541 to store energy. The second reset elastic return element 541 and the third elastic reset return element 531 may be springs.
See Figure 4, which shows an exploded schematic diagram for a partial structure of the leakage fault indicator mechanism in Figure 2. The indicator 400 com prises an indicator body 410 and a connecting portion 420. The indicator body 410 is provided with an indication area 411. The connecting portion 420 extends along the axial direction of the indicator body 410 and is used to connect the handle 200. Specifically, as driven by the handle 200, the con- necting portion 420 is rotatable from a first initial position to a first locking position. The connecting portion 420 in Figure 4 is located in the first initial position. When a leakage fault occurs, under the action of the first reset elas tic element 430, the connecting portion 420 can return from the first locking position to the first initial position, and the indication area 411 is at least partially exposed outside the housing 100; for example, the indication area 411 shown in Figure 4 is fully exposed outside the housing 100. The indica tion area 411 may adopt a special color, a special mark, or a transparent material.
In an optional embodiment, the body of the handle 200 is provided with an accommodating groove 211. The connecting portion 420 is extensible into the accommodating groove 211 and slidable in the accommodating groove 211.
See Figure 4, in which the inner wall of one side of the accommodating groove 211 is configured as a driving surface 2111, and the handle 200 push es the connecting portion 420 to rotate through the driving surface 2111. Specifically, the body of the handle 200 may have a width of half a modulus, and the accommodating groove 211 may be in the shape of a circular ring.
In another optional embodiment, the first module 11 further comprises a mounting housing 110. As shown in Figure 4, the indicator 400 and the han dle 200 may be respectively assembled on two positioning pins 111 of the mounting housing 110 and bridged on either side of the mounting housing 110. After completion of assembly, the connecting portion 420 passes through the arcuate groove of the mounting housing 110 and extends into the accom modating groove 211.
See Figure 6, which shows a schematic structural diagram for the trip in Figure 2. The trip 510 comprises a trip body 512 and a trip arm 511. See Figure 7, which shows a schematic structural diagram for the action connecting rod in Figure 2. When a leakage fault occurs, the trip 510 can collide with the action connecting rod 610, and the trip 510 drives the action connecting rod 610 to move. When a user manually closes the circuit breaker or the circuit breaker trips due to the overload or overcurrent protection function, the action con necting rod 610, when moving, can avoid the trip 510 and the locking rod In an optional embodiment, a boss 5121 is provided on the trip body 512. The action connecting rod 610 comprises a driving arm 611, and the driving arm 611 is provided with a flange 6112. After the locking rod 530 is separated from the trip 510, when the energy storage rod 540 drives the trip 510 to ro tate, the boss 5121 can act on the flange 6112 and drive the action connecting rod 610 to move. This embodiment can ensure that the leakage fault indica tor mechanism, while indicating a leakage fault, unlocks the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker to improve safety.
In an optional embodiment, an avoidance groove 5111 is further provided on the trip arm 510. If the driving assembly 500 is in a closed and locked state, the flange 6112 of the driving arm 611 can pass through the avoidance groove 5111 when the action connecting rod 610 moves.
The action connecting rod 610 may further comprise a linkage arm 612. The driving arm 611 and the linkage arm 612 are respectively located in different chambers of the module to which they belong, and the linkage arm 612 can unlock the operating mechanism of the chamber in which it is located to open the circuit breaker. The action connecting rod 610 can realize the perfor mance of a coordinated action when the circuit breaker fails or a leakage fault occurs.
See Figure 8 and Figure 9, which illustrate the process of closing the circuit breaker. In Figure 8, the handle 200 and the indicator 400 are both in the in itial state! the connecting portion 420 of the indicator 400 is located in the first initial position, and the indication area 411 is exposed outside the housing 100; and the trip 510 is located in the second initial position. In Fig ure 9, the handle 200 is in a closed state. The connecting portion 420 of the indicator 400 is located in the first locking position, the indication area 411 is hidden inside the housing 100, and the trip 510 is located in the second locking position.
When a user manually closes the handle 200 of the circuit breaker, the ac commodating groove 211 of the handle 200 pushes the connecting portion 430 of the indicator 400 to rotate, thereby causing the leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention to perform a closing operation. The trip 510 moves along the guide groove 112 under the action of the driving rod 520. The energy storage rod 540, as driven by the coupling rod 550, by using the contact surface of the support member 113 as a support point, compresses the second reset elastic element 541 to store energy. When the connecting por¬ tion 420 rotates to the first locking position, the indication area 411 is hidden inside the circuit breaker; in other words, a non-leakage fault state is dis¬ played to the user; the trip 510 moves to the second locking position, and the trip arm 511 of the trip 510 abuts on the locking rod 530. At this point, the driving assembly 500 is in a closed and locked state.
See Figure 10, which shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indicator mechanism when the circuit breaker of the present invention is normally opened. In Figure 10, the handle 200 returns to the initial state, the indicator 400 remains in the closed state, and the connecting portion 420 remains in the first locking position.
The process of normally opening the circuit breaker will be described below in conjunction with Figures 9 and 10. When the circuit breaker is opened and closed in normal use, the state of the driving assembly 500 and that of the action connecting rod 610 remain unchanged, and the handle 200 rotates and returns to the initial state from the closed state. Since the accommodating groove 211 of the handle 200 has sufficient space, the opening and closing operation has no effect on the leakage fault indicator mechanism. The indi¬ cator 400 does not rotate due to the rotation of the handle 200, and the indi¬ cation area 411 of the indicator 400 is still hidden inside the housing 100.
See Figure 11, which shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indicator mechanism when the circuit breaker of the present invention is opened due to an overload or short-circuit fault. In Figure 11, the handle 200 returns to the initial state, the indicator 400 remains in the closed state, and the connecting portion 420 remains in the first locking position. The process of opening the circuit breaker due to an overload or short-circuit fault will be described below in conjunction with Figures 9 and 11. When the circuit breaker is opened due to an overload or short-circuit fault, the posi tion of the action connecting rod 610 changes, and the end of the driving arm 611 moves downwards in the direction of the guide groove 112. Since the avoidance groove 5111 is provided on the trip arm 511, the flange 6112 of the driving arm 611 can pass through the avoidance groove 5111. The limit guide 6111 of the driving arm 611 can smoothly avoid the trip arm 511 and the locking rod 530 and pass through the lower side thereof. Therefore, move ment of the action connecting rod 610 cannot interfere with the leakage fault indicator mechanism of the present invention, and the leakage fault indicator mechanism remains in a closed and locked state. This can ensure that the leakage fault indicator mechanism is independent of the operating mecha nism of the circuit breaker.
See Figure 12, which shows a schematic structural diagram for the leakage fault indicator mechanism when the circuit breaker of the present invention unlocks the driving assembly due to a leakage fault. The process of opening the circuit breaker due to a leakage fault will be described below in conjunc tion with Figures 9, 12, and 8. When the circuit breaker is opened due to a leakage fault, the push rod 310 of the leakage fault tripping member 300 is released and ejected. After the push rod 310 pushes the locking rod 530 to rotate, the trip arm 511 is separated from the locking rod 530. Therefore, the trip 510 is unlocked. Under the action of the second reset elastic element 541, the energy storage rod 540 and the coupling rod 550 move rapidly. At this point, when the indicator 400 is not quick enough to start rotating, the trip 510 makes a rapid rotating movement centering on one end of the driving rod 520. During the movement, the boss 5121 of the trip body 512 collides with the flange 6112 of the action connecting rod 610, causing the action connect ing rod 610 to move by linkage, thereby further unlocking the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker, so that the entire circuit breaker is opened. The entire movement process is shown in Figures 9, 12, and 8. The handle 200 and the indicator 400 rotate to return to the initial state under the ac tion of the fourth elastic element 220 and the first elastic element 430, re spectively. At this point, the indication area 411 hidden inside the housing 100 is exposed outside the housing 100 to inform the user that a leakage fault has occurred. After the user closes the handle 200 again after correcting the fault, the leakage fault indicator mechanism switches from the state shown in Figure 8 to the state shown in Figure 9. The fourth reset elastic element 220 may be a spring.
Therefore, when the circuit breaker handle 200 is closed, the leakage fault indicator mechanism is driven to perform a reset and closing operation, and then the handle 200 is separated from the leakage fault indicator mechanism to ensure the stability of the fault indicator mechanism; when a leakage fault occurs, the driving assembly 500 actively collides with the action connecting rod 610 to move, thereby releasing the entire product for disconnection. Thus, a coordinated action with the existing mechanism of the circuit breaker is achieved.
The present invention further provides a circuit breaker, which comprises the leakage fault indicator mechanism of any one of the above -described em bodiments. Such a circuit breaker is highly reliable and safe.
Generally, multi-pole standard-sized RCBOs are designed on the basis of the layout of compact 1PN products.
A compact 1PN circuit breaker product, which usually has an L-pole operat ing mechanism and an N-pole operating mechanism, is of an L/N integrated type or L/N split type. Regardless of which of the above-described methods is adopted, the operation is driven by the same handle and connecting rod, so that the L pole and N pole are opened and closed synchronously, and the connecting rod and main mechanism parts are not assembled on the same side of the product.
With a multi-pole circuit breaker product, only the L-pole operating mecha nism is needed at any pole. Therefore, it is necessary to make optimizations on the basis of the existing operating mechanisms of compact 1PN circuit breaker products to save as much space as possible, thereby achieving the purpose of meeting product performance requirements and integrating mul- tiple electronic control functions, and improving assembly efficiency.
In terms of specific implementation, two methods are adopted in the existing design: (l) in a compact space (about 1.5 moduli), controlling the opening and closing of the two L poles by driving the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker with the same handle and connecting rod; with this method, one set of mechanisms still controls the opening and closing of the two contacts, which is not flexible enough; and (2) controlling, with the unipolar operating mechanism, the opening and closing of a unipolar contact, and reducing the overall size of the arc-extinguishing system by half for the placement of a leakage function component; with this method, the breaking performance of the product is sacrificed. In addition to the two methods described above, the present invention proposes a new design solution, which will be described below with reference to Figures 13 to 19.
See Figure 13, which shows a schematic structural diagram for an embodi ment of the L pole of the circuit breaker in Figure 1. Specifically, both the L pole of the first module 11 and that of the second module 12 can adopt this structure.
In this embodiment, the L pole operating mechanism uses an arcuate con necting rod 720. This operating mechanism allows the contacting and sepa ration between the movable contact assembly and the static contact assembly, and the connection with external accessories allows switch control or signal transmission. It occupies a small space (half a modulus), carries a low cost, and is easy to assemble.
See Figure 14, which shows an exploded schematic diagram for the structure of the L pole in Figure 13. The second module 12 comprises a housing, a han dle 760, an arcuate connecting rod 720, a trip 710, a coupling rod 750, a locking rod 730, a shared tripping member 900, a contact assembly 740, and a static contact assembly 800.
The handle 760 and the shared tripping member 900 are rotatably connected to the housing, respectively. The arcuate connecting rod 720, the trip 710, the locking rod 730, the movable contact assembly 740, and the coupling rod 750 are arranged in the housing. The locking rod 730 is pivotally connected to the housing. A reset spring 763 is connected between the handle 760 and the housing, and the handle 760 has a width of half a modulus (the width of an entire modulus may also be used according to design requirements). A pressure spring 741 is connected between the movable contact assembly 740 and the housing.
See Figure 15, which shows a schematic structural diagram for the handle in Figure 13. The handle 760 is provided with a handle hole 761, a reset spring mounting cavity 762, and a limit portion 764. The handle hole 761 is used to connect one end of the arcuate connecting rod 720. The reset spring mounting cavity 762 is used to mount the reset spring 763. The limit portion 764 is used to limit the rotation of the reset spring 763.
See Figure 16, which shows a schematic structural diagram for the arcuate connecting rod in Figure 13. The arcuate connecting rod 720 comprises a first connecting end 721, a first bending portion 722, a second bending portion 723, and a second connecting end 724, wherein the first connecting end 721 is connected to the handle 760, and the second connecting end 724 is connected to the trip 710. A bending angle is formed between the first bending portion 722 and the second bending portion 723. See Figure 19, which shows that a bending angle is provided on the arcuate connecting rod 720, so that the ar cuate connecting rod 720 can avoid the coupling rod 750 during movement. In addition, a plurality of bending angles may be provided between the first connecting end 721 and the second connecting end 724 as required. The ar rangement of a plurality of bending angles can further ensure that the arcu ate connecting rod 720 avoids the coupling rod 750 during movement.
See Figure 17, which shows a schematic structural diagram for the shared tripping member in Figure 13. The shared tripping member 900 comprises a shared tripping member body and a tripping member driving arm 920, wherein both ends of the main body of the shared tripping member are re spectively provided with a tripping member connecting groove 910 and a tripping member connecting pin 930; a tripping member collision boss 921 is provided at the end of the tripping member driving arm 920. The shared tripping member 900 can realize the tripping control of adjacent poles in the case of multi-pole splicing (or splicing with external accessories).
For a multi-pole product, an automatic disconnection due to an action of the protection function requires the shared tripping member 900. The tripping member connecting pin 930 of the shared tripping member 900 is connected to the tripping member connecting groove of another shared tripping member. During the rotation of the trip 710, the tripping member of the tripping member driving arm 920 will collide with the boss 921 to drive the shared tripping member 900 to make a rotary movement, and the rotary movement will, through the tripping member connecting pin 930, drive the shared trip ping member of another pole to rotate together with it. In the operating mechanism of another pole, the shared tripping member driving arm will push the locking rod to rotate, unlock the operating mechanism of the corre sponding pole, and break off its contact.
The normal closing process and opening process of the L-pole operating mechanism will be described below in conjunction with Figures 13 and 18.
Figure 13 shows the initial state in which the user has not closed the L-pole operating mechanism. In the state shown in Figure 13, the user pushes the handle 760 to rotate counterclockwise. Driven by the handle 760, the second connecting end 724 of the arcuate connecting rod 720 is driven to move downwards along the guide groove on the housing. During the downward movement of the trip 710 following the second connecting end 724, first, the trip arm of the trip 710 comes into contact with one end of the locking rod 730 and is locked by the locking rod 730; then, through the coupling rod 750, the trip 710 drives the movable contact assembly 740 to move until the mov able contact assembly 740 comes into contact with the static contact assem bly 800 to complete the closing operation. The L-pole operating mechanism at this point is shown in Figure 18.
Figure 18 shows a schematic diagram for the L-pole structure when the cir cuit breaker is closed. When the user needs to disconnect the L-pole operat- ing mechanism, the user pushes the handle 760 to rotate clockwise in the state shown in Figure 18. The handle 760 drives the arcuate connecting rod 720 to move upwards along the guide groove on the housing, and the movable contact assembly 740 is driven by the pressure spring 741 to quickly leave the static contact assembly 800 until the movable contact assembly 740 col lides with the limit portion of the housing. At the same time, the trip 710 and the coupling rod 750 are reset to complete the disconnection operation.
See Figure 19, which shows a schematic structural diagram when the L pole in Figure 13 is unlocked due to an action of the circuit breaker protection function. The process in which the L pole operating mechanism is discon nected due to the protection function will be described below in conjunction with Figures 18, 19, and 13.
When the circuit breaker product is disconnected due to an action of the pro tection function (such as overload, overcurrent, etc.), the actuator of the thermal system or the magnetic system will push or pull the locking rod 730 to rotate, and the locking rod 730 leaves the position in which it is in contact with the trip 710; the trip arm of the trip 710 loses the support from the locking rod 730 and thus unlocks the operating mechanism. Under the action of the pressure spring 741, the movable contact assembly 740 and the cou pling rod 750 quickly move and reset. At this point, the handle 760, not quick enough to react, remains in the closed position. The trip 710, centering on the second connecting end 724 of the arcuate connecting rod 720, rapidly ro tates and moves to the limit feature of the housing. The arcuate feature of the arcuate connecting rod 720 can better avoid the boss feature of the trip 710, and the bending angle of the arcuate connecting rod 720 can avoid the coupling rod 750, so that the tripping process is completed smoothly. Then, under the action of the reset spring 763, the handle 760 and the trip 510 re turn to the opened position.
In this embodiment, a single operating mechanism controls only one contact, which may be more flexibly applied to various types of products (such as 2P, 3P, and 4P products); in addition, the operating mechanism occupies a small space; it occupies only a half of a modulus space of the module, and the other half of the modulus space may be used for the following functions^ (l) If a set of mechanisms is assembled, an auxiliary switch (AS) or fault indication (FC) function may be realized; (2) if a set of electronic components is assembled, a number of other control functions (such as communication, remote control, and automatic reclos- ing) may be realized. This new operating mechanism can optimize the assembly process, allowing the assembly of all the parts on one side to reduce production costs. Alternatively, within the range of a single modulus, a complete set of inde pendent operating mechanisms may be assembled in the corresponding space of the other half, so as to realize the control of a bipolar product with two handles.
It should be understood that although the embodiments are described separately, an embodiment does not contain only one independent technical solution, and that such a method of description is only for the sake of clarity; those of ordinary skill in the art should treat the description as a whole, and the technical solu- tions provided in the embodiments may be appropriately combined into other embodiments that those of ordinary skill in the art understand.
The detailed descriptions given above are only specific descriptions of feasible embodiments of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention, and any equivalent implementation modes or alterations, such as a combination, division, or repetition of features, made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention, should fall under the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker, the circuit breaker comprising a housing (100) and a handle (200) that is rotatably con nected to the housing (100), a leakage fault tripping member (300) and an action connecting rod (610) being included in the housing (100), wherein the leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker comprises : an indicator (400) rotatably connected to the housing (100), a first reset elastic element (430) being connected between the indicator (400) and the housing (100); and a driving assembly (500) for leakage fault protection that is ar ranged in the housing (100); as driven by the handle (200), the driving as sembly (500) is switchable to a closed and locked state; when a leakage fault occurs, a push rod (310) of the leakage fault trip ping member (300) unlocks the driving assembly (500), so that as driven by the driving assembly (500), the action connecting rod (610) opens the circuit breaker, and as driven by the first reset elastic element (430), the indicator (400) rotates and indicates the leakage fault.
2. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicator (400) comprises : an indicator body (410) provided with an indication area (41l); and a connecting portion (420) extending along the axial direction of the indicator body (410), the connecting portion (420) being used to connect the handle (200); as driven by the handle (200), the connecting portion (420) may rotate from a first initial position to a first locking position, and, under the action of the first reset elastic element (430), the connecting portion (420) can return from the first locking position to the first initial position.
3. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 2, wherein when a leakage fault occurs, the connecting portion (420) returns to the first initial position, and the indication area (411) is at least partially exposed outside the housing (lOO).
4. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein an accommodating groove (211) is provided on the handle (200); and the connecting portion (420) extends into the accommodating groove (211) and is slidable in the accommodating groove (211).
5. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inner wall of one side of the accommodating groove
(211) is a driving surface (2111), the driving surface (2111) being able to push the connecting portion (420) to rotate.
6. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in any one of claims 1 - 5, characterized by further comprising a mounting housing (110), the indicator (400) and the handle (200) being assembled on the mounting housing (110) and bridged on either side of the mounting housing (llO).
7. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in any one of claims 1 - 6, wherein the driving assembly (500) comprises : a trip (510) comprising a trip body (512) and a trip arm (511); a driving rod (520), both ends of which are rotatably connected to the indicator (400) and the trip body (512), respectively; a locking rod (530) pivotally connected to the housing (100); an energy storage rod (540), a second reset elastic element (541) being connected between the rod and the housing (100); and a coupling rod (550), both ends of which are rotatably connected to the trip body (512) and the energy storage rod (540), respectively.
8. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 7, wherein a third reset elastic element (531) is connected between the locking rod (530) and the housing (lOO).
9. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein as driven by the indicator (400), the trip (510) moves from a second initial position to a second locking position, and drives the en ergy storage rod (540) to compress the second reset elastic element (541).
10. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 9, wherein the locking rod (530) can lock the trip (510), after the push rod (310) pushes the locking rod (530) to become separated from the trip (510), the en ergy storage rod (540) can drive the trip (510) to rotate.
11. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in any one of claims 7 - 10, wherein the trip body (511) has a boss (5121); the action connecting rod (610) comprises a driving arm (61l), the driving arm (61l) having a flange (6112); after the locking rod (530) is separated from the trip (510), when the energy storage rod (540) drives the trip (510) to rotate, the boss (5121) can act on the flange (6112) and drive the action connecting rod (610) to move.
12. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 11, wherein the trip arm (510) has an avoidance groove (5111); if the driving assembly (500) is in a closed and locked state, when the action connecting rod (610) moves, the flange (6112) may pass through the avoid ance groove (5111).
13. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in any one of claims 1 - 12, wherein the action connecting rod (610) further comprises a linkage arm (612), the driving arm (61l) and the linkage arm (612) being respectively located in different chambers of the module in which they are located, the linkage arm (612) being able to unlock the operating mechanism of the circuit breaker.
14. The leakage fault indicator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in any one of claims 1 - 13, wherein the housing (100) further comprises a linkage member (620), which is used for connecting another module of the circuit breaker, the linkage member (620) being connected to the action con necting rod (610) and rotatable as driven by the action connecting rod (610).
15. A circuit breaker, characterized by comprising the leakage fault indi- cator mechanism for a circuit breaker as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14.
EP21749829.4A 2020-07-28 2021-07-27 Residual current fault indicator mechanism and circuit breaker with residual current fault indicator mechanism Pending EP4173019A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202010736241.8A CN114005710A (en) 2020-07-28 2020-07-28 Electric leakage fault indication mechanism of circuit breaker and circuit breaker
PCT/EP2021/071025 WO2022023354A1 (en) 2020-07-28 2021-07-27 Residual current fault indicator mechanism and circuit breaker with residual current fault indicator mechanism

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WO (1) WO2022023354A1 (en)

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