FR2690560A1 - Mechanical interlocking device for two molded case circuit breakers. - Google Patents

Abstract

Two molded case circuit breakers are fixed side by side on a plate and are interlocked by a mechanical device which prevents the simultaneous closing of the two circuit breakers. The interlocking device comprises two coaxial bars (45) mounted to rotate on the plate and each carrying at one of its ends a receiving crank (48 '), and at the opposite end a rotary cam (49). The receiving crank (48) cooperates with a pusher (43 ') actuated by the contact carrier bar or a crank (13') integral with this bar, to rotate the associated bar (45) and move the corresponding rotary cam (49) which cooperates with the other circuit breaker in a tripping control position when the first circuit breaker is in the closed position. The trip command is transmitted by a rocker arm (31) to a transmission lever (30) which acts on the locking system of the circuit breaker mechanism. The second bar carries in a similar manner, a receiving crank which cooperates with a pusher of the second circuit breaker, and a rotary cam capable of triggering the first circuit breaker when the second circuit breaker is closed.

Description

AT

  DEVICE FOR MECHANICAL INTERLOCKING OF TWO CIRCUIT BREAKERS

A BO l ER MOULE.

  The invention relates to a device for mechanical interlocking of a first and a second circuit breaker with a molded case to prevent simultaneous closing of the two circuit breakers, each circuit breaker having a pushbutton with two stable positions, a first position representative of the circuit breaker open position and a second position representative of the circuit breaker closed position and a transmission lever with two stable positions, a first inactive position and a second control position for

circuit breaker tripping.

  An interlocking device of the type mentioned, is used in particular in source inverters, allowing the supply of an installation by one or the other of the sources. Interlocking can be electrical when the circuit breakers are remote-controlled or mechanical. when they are placed side by side on a plate Mechanical interlockings are carried out using rods connecting the control handles and these rod sets are complicated and of uncertain reliability They depend

the type of command.

  The present invention aims to allow the realization of a simple and reliable mechanical interlocking device, which can be adapted to standard circuit breakers, regardless of their direct, rotary or electrical control mode, and

  their fixing, fixed or withdrawable.

  The interlocking device according to the invention is characterized in that the two circuit breakers are fixed side by side on a plate, that the pushers and the transmission levers protrude from the rear faces of the molded boxes fixed to the plate and that the plate is equipped with a first mechanical connection between the pusher of the first circuit breaker and the transmission lever of the second circuit breaker to bring the latter transmission lever to said second position when said pusher of the first circuit breaker is in the second position and of a second connection mechanical between the pusher of the second circuit breaker and the transmission lever of the first circuit breaker to bring the latter transmission lever into said second position, when the pusher

  of the second circuit breaker is in the second position.

  The interlocking mechanism is transferred to the rear face of the molded boxes and to the plate on which these rear faces are fixed. The transmission by rotary bars, in particular by coaxial rotary bars, one of which is tubular, is particularly robust and reliable, and the connection with the circuit breakers takes place automatically when the latter are fixed on the circuit board The pushers representative of the position of the contacts of the circuit breaker are interposed between the contact carrier bar o between a crank secured to this bar and fixed receiving cranks to the connecting bars extending between the two circuit breakers These bars carry at their opposite end rotary cams, capable of engaging a rocker arm actuating a transmission lever which moves

  the latching or the trip bar of the circuit breaker trip device.

  The mechanical connection bars are mounted on bearings integral with the plate, and these bars are biased by springs in a direction keeping the receiving cranks in support of the pushers The elements of the interlocking device, directly associated with the circuit breaker, occurrence, the pushers and the transmission levers with their rocker can be mounted on any type of circuit breaker, and in a particularly simple manner These elements can be used for the actuation of other auxiliaries, in particular in a pre-trip device described in the request of

jointly filed patent.

  Other advantages and characteristics will emerge more clearly from the description which follows.

  follow, of an embodiment of the invention, given by way of nonlimiting example and represented in the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic view in elevation and in axial section of a circuit breaker according to

  the invention, shown in the withdrawn position.

  Figures 2, 3 and 4 are views similar to that of Figure 1, showing respectively

  the circuit breaker during racking-in, in racked-in position, and during racking-out.

  FIG. 5 is a view in elevation and in axial section of an interlocking device for two circuit breakers, a part surrounded by a broken line being represented in the

  position corresponding to the associated circuit breaker.

  Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5, showing the device

  interlock in the release position.

  Figure 7 is a perspective view of a mounting plate of the two circuit breakers equipped with an interlocking device, only the boxes of the circuit breakers being

partially shown.

  FIG. 8 is a view similar to that of FIG. 7, in which one of the parts of the

platinum is assumed removed.

  FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of part of FIG. 8.

  Figure 10 is a sectional view of a pole of the circuit breaker and its control mechanism. In FIGS. 1 to 4, a withdrawable circuit breaker consists of a fixed part 10 in the form of a base or of a chassis, and of a movable part 11 forming the circuit breaker proper, in this case a molded case circuit breaker 12, of which only the base is shown The circuit breaker 11 of a standard type comprises a bar 53 for supporting the movable contacts 52 of the different poles, to which bar is associated a control crank 13 coupled to a toggle joint 14 of a mechanism 15 of opening and closing of the circuit breaker A pivoting handle 16 controls the manual opening and closing of the circuit breaker by means of a spring 17 anchored, on the one hand to the axis 18 of the toggle joint, and on the other hand to the handle 16 The opposite end of the toggle joint 14 is articulated to a hook 19, one of the ends of which is pivotally mounted on a fixed axis and the opposite end of which cooperates with a latch 21 In the locked position, the hook het 19 exerts on the locking surface of the lock 21 a force in the unlocking direction, by pivoting anticlockwise, the lock 21 being held in the locking position by a pivoting latch 22 The circuit breaker 11 comprises plus a trip unit (not shown) which activates the latching 22 during a fault to cause the automatic opening of the circuit breaker by releasing the latch 21 and unlocking the hook 19 Figure 1 shows the mechanism 15 in the closed position of the circuit breaker , the opening of the latter being able to be controlled manually by pivoting the handle 16 anticlockwise, or by a

  automatic triggering caused by the trigger.

  When triggered, the handle 16 comes into an intermediate position, and the resetting of the mechanism 15 is obtained by a pivoting of the handle 16 towards the open position. During this pivoting, a roller 23 integral with the handle 16

  engages the hook 19 to return it to the locking position by the latch 21.

  This reset position which corresponds to the open position, is a stable position of the lever 16, the latter remaining in this position, even during an unlocking.

hook 19 by the trigger.

  Such a circuit breaker is described in detail in French patent application No. 921486 filed by the applicant on February 7, 1992, and the reader will advantageously refer to this

  ask for further details.

  55.56 input and output pads of the different poles of the circuit breaker 11 are connected racking pins 24 projecting from the rear face 25 of the molded housing 12 When the circuit breaker 11 is plugged into the base 10, each pin 24 of cylindrical shape, comes to plug on a fixed racking contact formed by a tulip 26 The base is constituted by an insulating plate having cells 27 for housing tulips 26 oriented towards the rear face 25 of the molded case 12 The tulips 26 are extended in the direction of this rear face 25, by insulating guide bushes 28, which cooperate with the pins 24 to position and guide the circuit breaker 11 during the

  racking-in and racking-out race.

  The circuit breaker 11 is equipped with a pre-trip system constituted on the one hand by a fixed cam 29, carried by the base 10, and on the other hand by a system integral with the mobile part consisting of a support bracket 32, fixed to the rear face 25 of the housing 12, which square carries a rocker arm 31, one of the arms 33 of which is articulated to a transmission lever 30 The rocker arm 31 is pivotally mounted on an axis 34, integral with the bracket 32, and the opposite arm 35 of the rocker arm 31 carries a pin 36 capable of cooperating with the fixed cam 29 The transmission lever 30 passes through an orifice 37 on the rear face, and a passage 38 formed inside the housing 12 to end with a face 39 for actuating the latching 22 The fixed cam 29, the rocker arm 31 and the transmission lever 30 extend in a plane parallel to the racking-in and racking-out direction of the circuit breaker 11, which direction is perpendicular to the back side The arm 35 carrying the pin 36 of the rocker arm 31 extends substantially in this direction perpendicular to the rear face 25, while the arm 33 articulated to the transmission lever is substantially perpendicular. The profile 40 of the fixed cam comprises a slot which cooperates with the pin 36 to move the latter during a racking-in movement of the circuit breaker 11, to the left in FIG. 1, then to maintain this pin in the deflected position before releasing it at the end of the racking-in stroke Ce deflection movement to the left of the pin 36 causes a pivoting of the rocker arm 31 in the clockwise direction and an upward sliding of FIG. 1 of the transmission lever 30, the face 39 of which engages the attachment 22 for release the latch 21 The release of the pin 36 authorizes a reverse pivoting of the rocker arm 31 and a sliding down of the lever

  transmission 30 which again allows the latching of the lock 21.

  The device operates in the following manner: The circuit breaker being in the closed position, represented in FIG. 1 and withdrawn, the racking-in movement of the circuit breaker 11 is started on the base 10, by introducing the pins 24 into the sockets 28 In this position, the pin 36 has not yet engaged the fixed cam 29, and the latch 21 maintains the hook 19 A continued racking-in movement brings the circuit breaker 11 to the position shown in FIG. 2, where the pins 24 are still spaced tulips 26 and o the fixed cam 29 has moved the pin 36 to the left in the figure, causing the sliding up of the transmission rod 30, which rotated the attachment 22 The lock 21 thus released allows the 1 o pivoting of the hook 19 and the tripping of the circuit breaker, the contacts of which open The circuit breaker being open, it can be plugged in without any risk, and at the end of the racking-in stroke, the pin 36 crosses the slot 40 e t is again released from the fixed cam 29 to return to the initial position for movement to the right In this engaged position, the transmission lever 30 is inactive, and the circuit breaker can be opened or closed normally by actuation of the handle 16 , Figure 3 showing the circuit-breaker racked in in the closed position Withdrawal is effected by a reverse operation, and at first the pin 36 engages the cam 29 and is moved to the left in Figure 4, to actuate the transmission lever 30 and cause tripping of the circuit breaker 11, by releasing the latching 22 and the latch 21 The tripping occurs before the separation of the racking-in contacts 24, 26 which takes place thereafter, the circuit breaker being unloaded At the end of withdrawing stroke and in the withdrawn position, the pin 36 leaves the fixed cam 29 to return to the initial position for releasing the coupling 22 and the latch 21, allowing operation normal circuit breaker, especially

  opening and closing times for testing.

  It is easy to see that the pre-trip device can be associated with a standard circuit breaker, by simple fixing of the support 32, with the rocker arm 31 and the transmission lever. The pre-trip system is particularly simple and it avoids any false operation. In FIGS. 5 to 9 which illustrate an interlocking device, the same reference numbers are used to designate parts similar or identical to those of the circuit breaker illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the reference numbers relating to the first circuit breaker being assigned A first circuit breaker 11 ′ and a second circuit breaker 11, of which only the molded housings 12, 12 ′ are shown in FIG. 7, are fixed on a plate 41, side by side by any appropriate means Each circuit breaker is equipped with 'a pre-trip device similar to that described above, and comprising a support 32 with a rocker arm 31 and a transmission lever 30 In the fixing position of the circuit breakers 11,11' on the plate 41, the rear faces 25 are pressed against the plate 41, which has two orifices 42 in which the supports 32 fit together Each circuit breaker 11,11 'is further equipped with a push button 43,43', one of which he ends is articulated to the crank 13, and the other end of which protrudes from the rear face 25, and enters the orifices 42 of the plate 41 The position of the pusher 43 is representative of that of the contacts 52 of the circuit breaker, in l occurrence of opening and closing of the circuit breaker. The plate 41 is fixed at a small distance to a parallel base plate 44 so as to provide an interval, between the plate 41 and the base plate 44, receiving a mechanical connection system between the two circuit breakers 11, 11 'This system of connection consists of two coaxial rotary bars, at least one of which in the form of a tube 45 surrounds the other in the form of an axis 46 The axis 46 is longer than the tube 45, and the parts which protrude from both sides and other of this tube 45 are rotatably mounted in bearings 47 fixed to the base plate 44 The axis 46 pivots freely in the bearings 47, and the tube 45 pivots freely on the axis 46 The tube 45 and the axis 46 extend transversely to the circuit breakers 11,11 'and respectively constitute a first and a second mechanical connection between these two circuit breakers For this purpose, the tube 45 carries at one of its ends opposite the orifice 42' of plate 41, a first receiving crank 48 'and at the opposite end, opposite the orifice 42, a second rotary cam 49 In a similar manner, the axis 46 carries, opposite the orifice 42 ', a first rotary cam 49', and opposite the 'orifice 42 a second receiving crank 48 The receiving cranks 48,48' have a housing for housing the end of the pushers 43,43 'and it is easy to see that a displacement of the pushbutton 43' of the first circuit breaker 11 'causes the displacement of the associated receiving crank 48 ', and a pivoting of the tube 45, while the pusher 43 of the second circuit breaker 11 actuates the second receiving crank 48 and causes a pivoting of the axis 46 The rotary cams 49,49' cooperate with the associated rocker arms 31 to move the transmission levers 30 and bring them either in the inactive position or in the active tripping position of the corresponding circuit breaker The axis 46 and the tube 45 are biased in rotation in the opposite direction of the high uilles of a watch in FIG. 5, by return springs 50 so as to maintain the receiving cranks 48,48 'in support of the associated pushers 43,43' The return springs 50 are arranged in line with the bearings 47, the , tube 45 then being extended by a sheath 51 The position of the receiving cranks 48, 48 ′ is representative of the position of the breaking contacts 52 of the associated circuit breaker, and in the closed position of these contacts, the receiving crank moves the rotary cam

  associated in a trigger position of the transmission lever 30.

  The operation of the interlocking device is explained below, with reference to FIGS. S and 6, in which the parts 13 ′, 43 ′ and 48 ′ encircled by a broken line are represented in the position they occupy in the first circuit breaker 11 ', while the other parts are shown in the position occupied in the second circuit breaker 11 In FIG. 5, the first circuit breaker 11' is open and the pusher 43 'is held by the crank 13', in a first raised position in FIG. 5 The mechanical connection constituted by the first receiving crank 48 ′, the tube 45 and the second rotary cam 49 makes this first position of the pusher 43 ′ correspond to a first position of the second rotary cam 49 releasing the associated rocker arm 31 and the transmission lever 30 placed in a first inactive position, allowing the normal opening and closing of the second circuit breaker 11 When closing stage or in the closed position of the first circuit breaker 11 ′, shown in FIG. 6, the crank 13 ′ moves the pusher 43 ′ to the second lowered position by causing the rotation of the tube 45 in the clockwise direction to bring the second rotary cam 49 in a second active position for engaging the rocker arm 31 and sliding up the transmission lever 30 towards a trigger position actuating the latching 22 to release the latch 21 In this position, the second circuit breaker 11 is automatically

  triggered and any closing maneuver is impossible, the latch 21 not being blocked.

  This first mechanical connection comprising the tube 45 ensures interlocking between the two circuit breakers 11 'and 11, so that when the first circuit breaker 11' is in the open position, the second circuit breaker can be opened or closed, but on the other hand in the event of closure of the first circuit breaker 11 ′, the second circuit breaker 11 must be open The second mechanical connection which comprises the axis 46 ensures in an identical manner a connection between the circuit breaker 11 and 11 ′, so that in the open position of the second circuit breaker 11, the first circuit breaker 1 'can be opened or closed, but on the other hand, in the closed position of the second circuit breaker 11, the first circuit breaker 11' is

necessarily open.

  This interlocking device is particularly simple, and it can be added to standard circuit breakers, without any particular constraint. The rocker arm 31 and the transmission lever 30 can be used for other functions, in particular for the function of

  pre-trip described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

  The interlocking device is advantageously used for circuit breakers of the type shown in FIG. 10, forming, among other things, the subject of the aforementioned French patent application, in which the breaking contacts 52 are arranged in contact bridge, mounted floating on a bar or a section of bar 53, integral with the cranks 13 of the mechanism 15 The hook 19 has on its edge a reset profile 54 arranged so as to make the reset position of the handle 16 coincide with its open position Un circuit breaker open is thus always ready to be closed, even if the associated circuit breaker has sent tripping orders by actuation of the release lever

transmission 30.

  It is clear that the transmission system between the two circuit breakers can be achieved by two independent bars or by any other operating means and that the invention is in no way

  limited to the mode of implementation more particularly described.

Claims (7)

  1 The invention relates to a mechanical interlocking device of a first (11 ') and a second (11) molded case circuit breaker (12) to prevent simultaneous closing of the two circuit breakers (11,11') , each circuit breaker having a pushbutton (43,43 ') with two stable positions, a first position representative of the circuit breaker opening position and a second position representative of the circuit breaker closing position and a transmission lever (30) to two stable positions, a first inactive position and a second circuit breaker tripping control position, characterized in that the two circuit breakers (11,11 ') are fixed side by side on a plate, that the pushers and the transmission levers projection of the rear faces of the molded boxes fixed to the plate (41) and that the plate is equipped with a first mechanical connection (48 ', 45,49) between the pusher (43') of the first circuit breaker r (11 ') and the transmission lever (30) of the second circuit breaker (11) to bring the latter transmission lever (30) to said second position when said pusher (43') of the first circuit breaker (11 ') is in the second position and a second mechanical connection (48,46,49 ') between the pusher (43) of the second circuit breaker (11) and the transmission lever (30') of the first circuit breaker (11 ') to bring the latter lever transmission in said second position, when the pusher (43) of the second circuit breaker (11) is in the second position.   2 Interlocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that said mechanical connections comprise first and second rotary bars (45,46)   extending transversely between the two circuit breakers (11,11 ').   3 Interlocking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the two bars (45,46) are coaxial, at least one (45) of the bars being tubular to surround the other and that each of the bars carries the 'one of its ends a receiving crank (48,48') cooperating with the pusher (43,43 ') and at the opposite end a rotary cam   (49,49 ') cooperating with said transmission lever (30).   3 S 4 interlocking device according to claim 3, characterized in that the receiving crank (48 ') of the first bar (45) struggles substantially in the same plane as the   rotary cam (49 ') of the second bar (46) and vice versa.   Interlocking device according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the mechanical connection bars (45,46) are mounted to rotate on the plate (41) and are biased by springs (50) in the direction of support of the cranks   receivers (48.48 ') against the pushers (43.43').   6 interlocking device according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the pusher (43,43 ') is interposed between the receiving crank (48,48') and the bar (53) contact carrier (52), or a crank (13) rigidly fixed to the bar (53).   7 interlocking device according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the transmission lever (30) can be used in a device for   pre-trip of a withdrawable circuit breaker.   8 Interlocking device according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the handle (16) of the circuit breaker mechanism (15) has two stable positions, a closed position of the breaking contacts (52) and an open position in which the open position with handle (16) is maintained during a   trip command received while the circuit breaker is open.