FR2779568A1 - ELECTRICAL CUT-OFF DEVICE INCLUDING A DIFFERENTIAL TRIP DEVICE AND CIRCUIT BREAKER INCLUDING SUCH A DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

The differential release mechanism (9) may be actuated by a relay (16) and displacing a rod (19) between rest and activation positions. The starting point of the rod is arranged outside of the electromagnetic relay (7) and acts directly on the starting point tripping device (20) at the time of the occurrence of a differential defect. This same rod assures the resetting of the relay (16) after opening of the contacts.

Description

AT

  ELECTRICAL SWITCHING DEVICE COMPRISING A DEVICE FOR

  DIFFERENTIAL TRIGGERING AND CIRCUIT BREAKER INCLUDING SUCH

DEVICE

  The present invention relates to an electrical cut-off device comprising, arranged in the same narrow housing, one substantially in the extension of the other in a plane substantially parallel to the large lateral faces of the housing, an electromagnetic trip device capable of acting on an organ trigger to control a trigger device so as to cause the separation of the fixed and movable contacts during a sudden rise in current, and a differential trigger capable of acting on the aforementioned trigger member to control the trigger device so to cause the separation of the contacts when an insulation fault occurs in the installation, said differential trip device comprising an actuation means able to move an actuation rod between a rest position and a position

  actuation of the trigger member.

  There is known a differential circuit breaker as described in document EP-0.665.569 of the applicant, comprising a differential trip unit coupled and coupled laterally to a circuit breaker block. In this document, the mechanism of the differential block is connected to the mechanism of the circuit breaker block by a mechanical trip link acting on the trip bar of the circuit breaker block, for the transmission of an order of

differential trigger.

  However, because the two blocks are joined laterally, the differential circuit breaker block has a width and therefore a large size. The need was therefore felt to reduce this size. One of the solutions envisaged consisted in placing the differential trip device and the circuit breaker in the same module and in the same plane. Such a device is described in the US patent. 4,608,546. In this document, the same rod is used to produce a triggered trigger, either by the magnetic trigger, or by the differential trigger. This percussion rod is freely slidably mounted in the fixed core of the magnetic trigger and can be driven in translation either by the movable core of the magnetic trigger, or by a differential trigger rod.

  controlled by the differential relay.

  This device has a number of drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is that this percussion rod needs to be guided very freely inside the fixed core and the movable core, because the differential energy produced by the differential trigger

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  is very weak. As a result, the pollution likely to be caused during cutting at the level of the radial clearances located between the percussion rod and the fixed core, or else between the movable core and the differential tripping rod, can generate

  blockages hampering the proper functioning of the differential.

  In addition, the fact that this rod is freely sliding decreases the efficiency and the yield.

  of the magnetic trigger because the moving core loses its percussion energy.

  The dual function provided by the percussion rod leads to a stack of games, namely a play at the trigger relay with the trigger rod, a play O10 between the trigger rod and the percussion rod and a play between the percussion rod and

  the circuit breaker trip bar, as well as a stack of longitudinal dimensions.

  In addition, the presence of two parts between the relay button and the

  tripping increases inertia and response times.

  Another drawback is that the differential trigger rod needs to be

  non-magnetic, because it must not be influenced by the magnetic trigger.

  Finally, in this device, the rearming of the differential system is operated by the lever when it returns to the armed position. As a result, this rearming is not carried out if the

  Return of the joystick is prevented, for example in the event of lockout.

  The present invention provides a breaking device comprising a differential tripping device, of simple design, which makes it possible to resolve all of these

problems.

  To this end, the subject of the present invention is a cut-off device of the aforementioned type, this device being characterized in that the trigger rod is arranged outside the electromagnetic trigger and acts directly on the member

  of the aforementioned trip when a differential fault occurs.

  Thanks to these characteristics, the risks of friction liable to prevent the sliding of the differential trigger rod are eliminated. The effectiveness of the magnetic trigger is no longer reduced, since it is no longer necessary that the rod of

  percussion is freely sliding.

  The play and the risks of dispersion of the longitudinal dimensions are reduced.

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  Finally, the inertia of the parts and therefore the response times are also considerably reduced. According to a particular characteristic, this trigger rod ensures the resetting of the actuating means after the opening of the contacts. According to a particular characteristic, the aforementioned trigger rod has a spout capable of cooperating with the trigger device so that the actuation of the trigger device causes the reset of the differential actuation means

after opening the contacts.

  This association of a spout with the actuating rod is made possible by the fact that the trigger rod is independent of the magnetic trigger, and makes it possible to obtain a

  automatic differential reset independent of the joystick.

  According to another characteristic, the triggering device comprising a latching system retaining the movable contact in the closed position by means of a rotary plate integral in rotation with the movable contact, and unlocking the latching system under the effect of the actuation of the triggering member causing the rotation of the plate in one direction and the separation of the contacts, the aforementioned spout cooperates with the plate so

  that the rotation of the plate causes the rearming of the differential actuation means.

  According to another characteristic, the actuation means is capable of driving the trigger rod in translation parallel to its longitudinal axis between a rest position and an actuation position of the trigger member Advantageously, the device comprising a lever manual control of

  contacts, the trigger rod extends between the handle and the magnetic trigger.

  According to a particular characteristic, the magnetic trigger comprising a percussion rod cooperating with a coil, the trigger rod comprises a rectilinear part forming an angle ca of approximately 10 with the axis of the percussion rod and a curved end part substantially at right angles to the end of the rod

  percussion, said curved part cooperating with the triggering member.

  According to another characteristic, the device also comprises a test circuit with test button, said test button being placed under the lever and acting on a spring element located

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  laterally to the rod, said spring element connecting a test resistor incorporated into the circuit

  electronics of the differential function to the potential of the coil carcass.

  The invention also relates to a circuit breaker comprising a breaking device comprising the previously mentioned characteristics taken alone or in combination. But other advantages and characteristics of the invention will emerge more clearly from the

  description which follows, of a particular embodiment of the invention, given as

  non-limiting example, and shown in the accompanying drawings in which: * Figure 1 illustrates in a longitudinal sectional view, a differential circuit breaker

  according to the invention, in an armed position and closed contacts.

  * Figure 2 is a view similar to the previous one, illustrating the RCD in a closed contacts and differential relay tripped position, just before the opening of the contacts and, * Figure 3 is a view similar to the previous one, illustrating the same circuit breaker in a

  reset position of relay simultaneously with opening of contacts.

  In the figures, we see a modular differential circuit breaker block B intended to be connected to the electrical conductors of an alternating network by means of a connection terminal 1, in order to protect the network during the appearance of an overload, d '' a short circuit or

  a differential fault (or insulation fault).

  This device is housed in a narrow housing 2 consisting of two parts, one of which has been removed so as to reveal the mechanism of the device. This housing has an upper face a, a lower face b, a front face c, a rear face d and two large side faces of which only one e is visible. This box mainly contains a pair of separable contacts 3, 4 respectively fixed 3 and mobile 4, a control mechanism 5 for opening and closing the circuit breaker actuated by a lever 6, an electromagnetic trip device 7, a thermal trip device 8, a trip device differential 9 and a

  tripping device D of the circuit breaker.

  The electromagnetic trip device 7 is intended to cause the opening of the contacts when a short circuit appears. It comprises in a manner known per se, a coil 10 mounted on a sheath 11 inside which is fixed a fixed core (not shown), and slides a movable core (not visible) secured to a percussion rod 12. This core

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  mobile is able to move between a rest position and an active position in which the percussion rod 12 acts on a trigger member or trigger bar 20, so as to cause the separation of the contacts 3, 4, under the effect magnetic field

  created by the passage of a short circuit current through the coil.

  The thermal trip device 8 is in the form of a bimetallic strip 13 and is capable of activating the trip device D of the circuit breaker, so as to cause the separation of the

  contacts, when a current overload occurs.

  The differential trip device 9 comprises a means for detecting a differential current in the form of a totalizing transformer 14, a test circuit with test button 15 (FIG. 1), an actuating means in the form of a relay 16, said to have magnetic latching, and an electronic processing circuit with an auxiliary power source 17 mounted on an electronic card. In a manner known per se, the totalizing transformer comprises a magnetic circuit in the form of a torus crossed by neutral and power phase conductors electrically connected to the lower terminals of the circuit breaker block and constituting the primary winding of the transformer. A secondary winding is wound on the toroid, and is electrically connected by wires to the input of the electronic circuit 17. The output of the electronic circuit is connected by an electrical connection to the coil of the relay.

trigger 16.

  The trigger relay 16 being known per se, it will not be described here in detail. This relay comprises a coil which, following an order given by the electronic circuit, is able to move a core 16b, which core 16b acts on a differential trip rod 19 when a differential fault occurs, so as to move the rod between a rest position and a position in which the rod 19 strikes the trigger bar 20. A spring 18 is interposed between a bearing face 16a of the relay 16 and a

bearing face of the core 16b.

  As can be seen in the figures, the trigger rod 19 extends between the aforementioned lever 6 and the coil 10 of the electromagnetic trigger 7, forming an angle cc of approximately 10 with the axis of this coil 10. This rod comprises a rectilinear part 19a ending in a curved part 1l9b substantially at 90, in the direction of the trigger bar 20. The end of the rod 19c has a slightly rounded shape

  corresponding to the shape of the part of the bar 20 intended to cooperate with said rod 19.

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  The tripping device of the circuit breaker D comprises, in a manner known per se, an attachment system 22, 20 arranged so as to retain the movable contact 4 in the closed position by means of a plate 23 rotatably mounted in the housing and secured to the contact

mobile 4.

  It can also be seen in the figures that the trigger rod 19 has a spout 21, having, in the plane of the figure, a substantially triangular section, and capable of cooperating (coming to bear) with the plate 23, so that the displacement in rotation of the plate 23 after each trip, causes the reset of the differential trip rod 19, that is to say its movement in the direction of the relay 16 against the force of the spring 18 until the magnetic snap is restored,

  as explained in more detail below.

  It will be noted that the rod 19 is guided in translation by positioning supports and

  guide 24, integral with the side walls of the housing.

  This circuit breaker further comprises a test circuit with test button, said button 15 being located under the handle 6 and acting on a spring element 15a situated laterally to the rod, said spring element connecting a test resistor 17a incorporated in the electronic circuit of the

  differential function at the coil carcass potential 10.

  The operation of the differential circuit breaker according to the invention will be described below, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, only when a differential fault is detected, its operation in the event of overload or short circuit not being modified. compared to this

which is known from the prior art.

  In Figure 1, the circuit breaker is in an armed position, closed contacts, corresponding to normal operation of the electrical network. In this state, the rod 19 is retained in a rest position bearing on the core 16b of the relay, which core is retained by

magnetic snap.

  When an insulation fault occurs on the network protected by the earth leakage circuit breaker, the summing transformer 14 sends a tripping order to the electronic circuit 17, which after amplification controls the excitation of the coil of relay 16. This causes the magnetic detachment of the core 16b of the relay 16, which drives the trigger rod 19 (fig. 2), in translation in the direction of the trigger bar under the effect of the force of the spring 18 (the core comes off, the spring being the strongest, it

acts on the stem).

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  During this movement, the rod, by its curved end 19b strikes the trigger bar 20; which results in the unlocking of the attachment system 20, 22 retaining the movable contact 4 in the closed position by means of the plate 23. The plate 23 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction until the opening of the contacts under the effect of a return spring. During this movement, the plate 23 strikes the spout 21 of the trigger rod 19 and recalls said rod 19 in the retracted position by moving said rod 19 towards the body of the relay 16, until the magnetic latching of the core of the relay be restored. This corresponds to the state of the circuit breaker shown in Figure 3. The handle 6 can then be manually actuated clockwise, until the contacts are closed, which corresponds to the state of the circuit breaker

shown in figure 1.

  Thus, thanks to the presence of this spout 21, the resetting of the differential relay 16 is always

  insured, immediately after a differential trip.

  It will be noted that the invention will apply equally to breaking devices such as

  RCDs with own current only with auxiliary source devices.

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Claims (11)

  1. An electrical disconnect device comprising, arranged in the same narrow housing, one substantially in the extension of the other in a plane substantially parallel to the large lateral faces of the housing, an electromagnetic trip device capable of acting on a trip member for control a tripping device so as to cause the separation of the fixed and movable contacts during a sudden rise in current and a differential trigger capable of acting on the aforementioned tripping member to control the tripping device so as to cause separation contacts when an insulation fault occurs in the installation, said differential trip device comprising an actuation means capable of moving an actuation rod between a rest position and an actuation position of the trigger, characterized in that the trigger rod (19) is arranged outside the electromagnetic trigger (7) and acts directly on the   aforementioned trip (20) upon the appearance of a differential fault.   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that this trigger rod (19)   ensures the resetting of the actuating means (16) after the opening of the contacts (3,4).   3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the aforementioned trigger rod (19) comprises a spout (21) able to cooperate with the trigger device D so that the actuation of the trigger device D causes the resetting of the   differential actuating means (16) after opening of the contacts (3, 4).   4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the triggering device (D) comprising a hooking system (22) retaining the movable contact (4) in the closed position by means of a rotary plate (23) secured in rotation of the movable contact (4), and unlocking of the attachment system (22) under the effect of the actuation of the trigger member (20) causing the rotation of the plate (23) in one direction and the separation of the contacts, the aforementioned spout (21) cooperates with the plate (23) so that the rotation of the plate (23) during the triggering results in the resetting of the means differential actuation (16).   5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the   actuating means (16) is capable of driving the trigger rod (19) in translation parallel to its longitudinal axis, between a rest position and a   actuation position of the trigger member (20). 9 2779568   6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the   device comprising a handle (6) for manual control of the contacts, the rod   trigger (19) extends between the lever (6) and the magnetic trigger (7).   7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the   magnetic trigger (7) comprising a percussion rod (12) cooperating with a coil (10), the trigger rod (19) comprises a rectilinear part (19a) forming an angle a of approximately 10 with the axis of the rod of percussion (12) and a curved end part (19b) substantially at right angles, towards the end of the percussion rod (12), said curved part (19b) cooperating with the trigger (20).   8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the   actuating means is a relay (16) with magnetic latching.   9. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it   further includes a test button test circuit, said test button being located under the handle (6) and acting on a spring element located laterally to the rod, said spring element connecting a test resistor (17a) incorporated in the electronic circuit of function   differential to the potential of the coil carcass (10).   10. Circuit breaker comprising a breaking device according to any one of previous claims.   11. Circuit breaker according to claim 10, characterized in that the tripping member   (20) is a trigger bar.