FR2786922A1 - ELECTROMECHANICAL CONTACTOR - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns an electromechanical contactor in an electromagnet and a mobile contact-carrier wherein the power terminals (A) are arranged in housings (53) of a power terminal strip (50) which forms, with the base plate (30) housing the electromagnet coil and armature, the contactor body (10). The power terminal strip (50) has inter-terminal partitions (51) which depend on the type of the power terminals and which co-operate with the corresponding forms (42) of an arc box (40) inside the body, said forms being independent of the type of the power terminals.

Description

The present invention relates to an electromechanical contactor comprising

  a body which is provided with elements for fixing to a support and which houses an electromagnet provided with a coil and a contact carrier movable according to the stress of

  the coil, the contactor comprising power terminals connected to

  fixed tacts, separable from mobile contacts carried by the contact carrier, and terminals

  control nes connected to the coil.

  Users increasingly want to have power terminals of various kinds, for example screw terminals, elastic cage terminals, insulation displacement terminals, ...; the contactor must therefore allow different terminals to be associated with the body. It is desirable to arrange the contactor to respond to this

  need in the simplest and least expensive way, while facilitating the connection

  external cables to the terminals.

  The object of the invention is to structure a contactor so that it can be easily and inexpensively provided with power connection terminals.

of different types.

  Another purpose is to structure such a contactor so as to facilitate its wiring.

control and command wiring.

  According to the invention, the contact carrier is housed inside an invariable housing, that is to say

  ie independent of the nature of the power terminals; the power terminals are arranged in housings of a power terminal block which constitutes a

  part of the contactor body, the dimensions of the housings depending on the

  ture of the terminals considered, while the power terminal block includes

  inter-terminal partitions depending on the nature of the power terminals and cooperating

  rant in abutment with corresponding shapes of the housing, such as grooves

  guide and stop, independent of the nature of the power terminals.

  The contactor can thus be formed by assembling an invariable arcing case

  with variable power terminals according to the nature of the power terminals.

  The body of the contactor can advantageously include at its rear part a

  fixing key housing the coil and the fixed armature of the electromagnet and its part

2 2786922

  before the power terminal block. The latter is assembled to the base, while the box

  invariable tier is a specific arc box located inside the body, and in particular

  nested in the power terminal block.

  The contact carrier may include control contacts located at the front of the power contacts, a control terminal being then installed on the terminal block.

  power to cooperate with control contacts.

  The description is given below of a preferred and nonlimiting embodiment

  of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the contactor according to the invention.

  Figure 2 is a similar exploded view of the contactor.

  Figure 3 is an enlarged schematic side view of the arc housing

and the power terminal block.

  Figure 4 is a side sectional view of the contactor.

  Figure 5 is a right perspective view of internal elements of the contactor.

  Figure 6 is a left perspective view of the arc housing.

  FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the arc housing, of the contact carrier, of the power terminal block and of the control / command terminal block, the fixed contacts and

mobile being absent.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view from the right of the base and of the power terminal blocks.

sance and control / command.

  Figures 9 and 10 show a front view of two embodiments of the power terminal block.

  The multi-pole electromechanical contactor shown has a body, i.e.

  say an external envelope, 10 having a front part 1 Oa and a rear part

  Ob. The front part 10a houses power terminals A, terminals for

  control B and control terminals C. The rear part 1 Ob is provided with the usual elements 11 for fixing to a support and houses an electromagnet 20. The body 10 includes power current lines 12 with double breaking; these lines 12 have fixed conductive parts 13 carrying fixed power contacts 14, thus

3 2786922

  as movable power contacts 15 located on contact bridges 16. The movable contact bridges 16 are housed in a contact carrier 17 movable in

  function of the solenoid coil 21 of the solenoid 20.

  In the front part 1 Oa of the body 10, the power terminals A are located in a main wiring plane PA to ensure the insertion of cables leading to a

  power source and a load, to energize the power lines

  rant 13; in addition, in the front part 10a are located control terminals B defining a control wiring plane PB located at the front of the plane PA, for the insertion of cables connected to a control circuit, these terminals being connected to inside the contactor to the coil 21 of the electromagnet 20. In the front part 1 Oa are finally located control terminals C defining a wiring plane PC located at the front of the plane PA and for example merged with the plane PB, these terminals being connected by cables or a bus to a control, signaling, or

1 5 analog.

  In more detail, the body or housing 10 of the contactor comprises a base 30 made of

  insulating container with the general shape of a parallelepiped bowl; this base constitutes

  the main part of the aforementioned rear part 10Ob and it is therefore provided with fixing elements

  tion 11 and houses the coil 21 of the electromagnet 20, as well as the fixed armature 22 at E

  with the E core arranged vertically.

  In the body 10 is located an arc housing 40 of suitable insulating material housing part of the movable frame 23 at E of the electromagnet 20 and the contact carrier 17. The contact carrier 17 (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 7) houses the contact bridges 16 carrying

  each two mobile contacts 15 of the respective pole. Next to the mo-

  biles are located respective fixed contacts 14, connected by the conductive parts 13 to the power terminals A, the parts 13 being for this purpose provided with pads

  threaded fixing 13a. The contact carrier 17 includes a rear portion 17a lo-

  managing the power bridges 16 and a front part 17b housing the mo-

  control balls 18 intended to cooperate with fixed control contacts 19

  as we will see later. The contact carrier 17 has forms of socket-

  ment 17c provided for actuating contacts specific to an additive attached to

the front of the contactor.

4,278,692

  The coil 21 has an insulating carcass 24 carrying the coil 25 and provided with two coil terminals 26 intended to be connected to the control terminals B. The above connection is made by means of respective conductive bars 27

  oriented substantially perpendicular to the front face of the contactor, these bars

  rettes being housed in transverse grooves 28 provided on the outside of the box

arc tier 40.

  The arc housing 40 has a stepped shape, namely a stage defining the plane of ca-

  PA wiring, dedicated to the connection of power contacts - power terminals and covered by a power terminal block 50, and a stage defining the wiring plan

  PB, PC, dedicated to the connection of control / command contacts - connector terminals

  control / command and capped by a control / command terminal block 60. The arc housing

  consists of two half-housings 40a, 40b assembled in a horizontal plane

  zontal which can be the median plane Q of the contactor or a plane parallel to Q. Cha-

  that half-housing 40a, 40b comprises internal partitions 41 intended to ensure adequate insulation between the power contacts of the various poles, but is

  on the other hand, without external isolation partitions between the power terminals

  sance; each half-housing has guides and grooves 42 making it possible to set up and position inter-terminal isolation partitions 51 provided

  in the power terminal block 50. At the front of the arc housing 40 are provided elements

  shaped elements 44 allowing the attachment of a front additive to the contactor.

  As seen in Figure 3, and incidentally Figures 6.7, each partition 51 pre-

  feels a rear part 51a which penetrates into a corresponding groove 42a if-

  killed behind the adjacent fixing pads 13; the partition 51 also offers a recessed part 51b which penetrates into a corresponding groove 42b situated at the level of the active part (screw-clamp, elastic cage, etc.) of the power terminal A. The part of the partition situated towards the median plane Q of the contactor comprises two slides 51c which cooperate with horizontal grooves 42c (see also Figures 9, 10). It can be seen that the grooves 42a, 42b, 42c determine, with the associated elements of the partitions 51, baffles increasing the isolation distance between power conducting parts. The power terminal block has a wall 52 of plane Q ′ parallel to the median plane Q of the contactor and serving as the base plane

for the terminal.

2786922

  It should be noted that the power terminal block 50 can be adapted to types

  different connections without the arc housing having to be modified. It is indi-

  as an example in Figures 9 and 10 the addition to the arc housing of a terminal block

  -1 with elastic terminals A1 and respectively with a terminal block 50-2 with screw terminals A2.

  As can be seen in FIGS. 3, 9 and 10, the space 53 allocated to the active or movable part of the terminal A between the wall 52 and the adjacent external wall 54 of plane Q "of the terminal block has a variable volume in height (direction Y) and in depth

  (direction X) while the arc housing remains the same. The terminal block presents ou-

  front grooves 55 allowing access to a tool for operating terminals and

  upper or lower openings 56 located in the PA wiring plane and used

  before the introduction of power cables, the openings 55, 56 opening into the space 53. A decompression space 57 is formed between the wall 52 of the terminal block and a parallel wall 43, provided with vent holes, of the housing arc. Terminal block 50 offers

  at the front, a window 58 crossed by the front part of the arc housing 40.

  A command / control terminal block 60 is assembled at the front of the contact body.

  This terminal block having front openings 61 allowing access to a terminal operating tool and upper or lower openings 62 located in the wiring plane PB, PC and used for the introduction of control and control cables . Terminal block 60 has a template which allows it to be embedded in window 58 of power terminal block 50 and it has a front opening 63 for passage

  for the front part of the bow housing 40.

  It should be noted that the body of the contactor is formed by the assembly of the power terminal block and the base, so that these two elements form the external parison of the contactor and completely envelop the arc housing. The power terminal block 50 is fixed by all usual means to the base 30 and the command / control terminal block 60 is fixed by all usual means to the terminal block 50 and / or to the

bow housing 40.

6 2786922

Claims (6)

Claims   1. Electromechanical contactor comprising a body (10) which is provided with elements for fixing to a support and which houses an electromagnet (20) provided with a coil and a   contact carrier (17) movable according to the stress of the coil, the   tactor comprising power terminals (A) connected to fixed contacts, separate   movable contact cables carried by the contact carrier, and communication terminals   strip (B) connected to the coil, characterized in that: - the contact carrier (17) is housed inside a housing (40) independent of the nature of the power terminals (A), - the terminals power (A) are arranged in housings (53) of a power terminal block (50) which forms a part of the body (10) of the contactor, the dimensions of these housings depending on the nature of the power terminals,   - the power terminal block (50) comprises inter-terminal partitions (51)   pendant type of power terminals (A) and cooperating in abutment with corresponding shapes (42) of the housing (40) independent of nature power terminals.   2. Contactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: the forms (42) of the housing (40) which cooperate with the partitions (51) of the power terminal block (50)   are guide and stop grooves.   3. Contactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: the body (10) of the contactor comprises at its rear part a base (30) housing the coil (21) and   The fixed armature (22) of the electromagnet (20) and at its part before the terminal block of   sance (50), the latter being assembled to the base, while the housing (40) is a housing   specific arc located inside the body (10).   4. Contactor according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that: the housing (40) is fitted into the power terminal block (50), the body of the contactor being constituted 7 2786922   by assembling the power terminal block to a base (30) housing the coil (21) and   the fixed armature (22) of the electromagnet (20).   5. Contactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: the contact carrier (17) comprises control contacts located at the front of the power contacts, and that a control terminal block (60) is installed on the power terminal block (50) for   cooperate with the control contacts.   6. Contactor according to claim 5, characterized in that: the housing (40) consists of two half-housings (40a, 40b) assembled together and having when they are joined a separation face parallel to the front face of the contactor for   separate the control contacts from the power contacts.