FR2819095A1 - ELECTROMECHANICALLY CONTROLLED CONCTOR HAVING A GAME FOR ALLOWING THE TIGHTENING OF CONDUCTORS - Google Patents

Abstract

The electromagnetic command contactor has conductors gripped between a first jaw (60) belonging to a container and a second jaw (59) belonging to the body (12). The body is assembled in a container by gripping (61) with a play allowing the conductor grip jaws to grip the assembly grip.

Description

The invention relates to an electromechanically controlled contactor of the type

  comprising, in a fixed housing: - at least one pair of conductors each having an end part whose end carries or forms a fixed contact; - At least one contact bridge capable of occupying a closed position in which it establishes an electrical connection between the fixed contacts, and an open position in which it is located at a distance from said fixed contacts; an electromagnet comprising a coil, a fixed armature associated with said coil, a movable armature, said electromagnet admitting a rest position in which the armatures are spaced from one another, and a working position in which the frames are pressed against each other; - an actuator coupled to said movable armature to drive said contact bridge; and

  - A carcass carrying said coil, and assembled to said housing.

  This type of contactor, known from document FR-2 652 947, has a

a number of drawbacks.

  When the contact bridge is in the closed position, it is subjected to an opening resistance which tends to keep it stuck to the

fixed contacts.

  When the contact bridge is driven to its open position, the presence of this resistance momentarily keeps the contact bridge bonded to the fixed contacts, which leads to a displacement of the conductors which tend to accompany the contact bridge before s' take off abruptly. This results in a lack of precision and speed in the operation of the contactor because the separation of the contact bridge and the fixed contacts is

  delayed. This affects the reliability of the contactor.

  The invention aims in particular to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, by proposing a contactor which is at the same time reliable, precise and rapid, while

  presenting a simple structure facilitating its assembly.

  To this end, the invention provides a contactor of the aforementioned type, characterized in that: each conductor is immobilized by being clamped between a first jaw belonging to the housing and a second jaw belonging to the carcass; - Said carcass is assembled to the housing by means of at least one clamping means; - There is between the housing and the carcass, at said clamping means, a clearance capable of allowing the clamping of the conductor between the jaws by means

said clamping means.

  Thus, the conductors are held firmly, so that the separation of the contact bridge and the fixed contacts, when ordering

  the opening by the electromagnet is both immediate and abrupt.

  The clamping of the conductors between pre-existing parts, namely the housing and the coil carcass, does not require any new parts. The

  mounting the contactor is therefore not complicated.

  According to one embodiment, the carcass comprises a base which has at least one foot forming said second jaw, projecting longitudinally towards said first jaw, and in that the housing comprises, facing said foot, at least one tab forming said first jaw, protruding longitudinally

from the housing to said carcass.

  The contactor is for example bipolar, and therefore comprises two pairs of conductors. The base then in particular comprises four substantially parallel feet, while the housing comprises four opposite legs

  said feet for tightening the four conductors.

  In addition, the base may have, between two adjacent feet, a

  housing adapted to receive said fixed frame.

  This housing comprises for example an extended abutment surface between said feet, against which is likely to be pressed said fixed armature in the working position of the electromagnet, while it is provided between said

  abutment surface and said frame fixes a clearance in the rest position of the electro-

magnet.

  According to one embodiment, said clamping means is a screw.

  The housing has for example a through hole forming a passage for the screw, while the base has, for example opposite said through hole, a threaded bore capable of receiving said screw, coaxial with said through hole. The through hole is for example made in a projecting chimney of the

housing towards the carcass.

  The bore is, for its part, practiced for example in a barrel which is

  provided the base, facing said chimney.

  Preferably, the housing has a capacity to flex, in line with said

  clamping means, in the direction of the carcass.

  And, when the tightening means is a screw, the housing is able, thanks to its own elasticity, to slow down the free rotation of the screw and thus maintain constant

tightening the conductors.

  According to one embodiment, each conductor has an end part whose end carries or forms said fixed contact, the conductor being immobilized, by being clamped between said jaws, at this end part. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the light of the

  description which follows of embodiments of the invention, provided as

  of nonlimiting examples, description made with reference to the accompanying drawings

  in which: - Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a contactor according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a perspective view of a contactor according to the invention, assembled, and the housing body is partially broken away to reveal elements of the contactor; the latter is shown according to an operating mode of the "closing" type, in the rest position of the movable armature of its electromagnet; - Figure 3 is a representation of the contactor of Figure 2 from another angle of view; - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, in which the contactor is shown in the working position of the movable frame; Figure 5 is a representation of the contactor of Figure 4 from the same angle of view as in Figure 3; - Figure 6 is a schematic representation in partial section of the contactor of Figures 2 to 5, in the position of Figures 2 and 3; - Figure 7 is a schematic representation of the conductor similar to Figure 6, in the position of Figures 4 and 5; - Figures 8 to 11 are views similar to Figures 2 to 7 respectively, the contactor being shown in an operating mode of the "opening" type; - Figures 12 and 13 are schematic representations similar to Figures 6 and 7, respectively, of the contactor shown in Figures 8 to 11; - Figure 14 is a perspective view in cutaway of the contactor of Figure 2, from another angle of view; and FIG. 15 is a partial representation of the contactor of FIG. 14,

from another angle of view.

  In the figures is shown a contactor 1 with electromechanical control of the type designed in particular for connecting to the

  electrical distribution an electrical appliance (not shown).

  The contactor 1 comprises a box 2 in which is housed an electro-

  magnet 3, the power supply of which controls the operation of the electrical appliance.

  The housing 2 comprises a housing body 4 intended to be removably fixed to a rail of an electrical cabinet (not shown) by means of a fastening system composed of a pair of claws 5, 6 facing each other, at least one of which 5 is sliding, and is biased towards the other 6 by a return spring 7. The housing 2 further comprises a cover 8 which overcomes the housing body 4 by being both nested and snapped into this one. The cover 8 is hat-shaped and has a nose 9 intended to be engaged in the window of a faceplate (not shown) of the electrical cabinet, to provide access to the

less visible to contactor 1.

  The electromagnet 3 comprises on the one hand, a fixed part 10 including a coil 11 supported by a carcass 12 fixed to the housing 2 as well as a fixed frame 13 associated with the coil 11, and, on the other hand, a movable frame

  14 located opposite the fixed frame 13.

  The movable frame 14 is capable of assuming a rest position (FIGS. 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14) in which it is separated from the fixed frame 13 by being located at an air gap distance from that -this, and a working position (Figures 4, 5, 7,

  , 11, 13) in which it is pressed against the fixed frame 13.

  The movable armature 14 is biased towards its rest position by a spring

  reminder 15 which bears against the housing body 4.

  In the rest position, the movable armature 14 is retracted into the

  nose 9 of cover 8, which thus forms a housing for receiving it (FIGS. 2, 8).

  An actuator 16 is coupled to the movable armature 14 to drive a contact bridge 17, 17 'capable of establishing an electrical connection between a first and a second conductor 18, 19, mounted in the housing body 4, and located

opposite.

  As it appears in FIG. 1, the contactor 1, of the bipolar type,

  comprises two first conductors 18 and two second conductors 19.

  For its connection to the electrical network, the contactor 1 comprises two first power terminals 20 arranged on the same side of the housing 2, and one of which is intended to connect one of the first conductors 18 to a pole of the network, while that the other is intended to connect the other first conductor

18 to another pole of the network.

  Two second power terminals 21 are also provided for connecting the second conductors 19 in the same way to the electrical appliance. As it appears in FIG. 1, each power terminal 20, 21 is

  arranged to pinch a bare electrical wire from the electrical network.

  To this end, each terminal 20, 21 comprises a movable connection element 22 mounted to slide in the housing body 4, the sliding of this element 22 being controlled by a clamping screw 23 engaged in a hole 24 in the cover 8, and which , resting on the conductor 18, 19, causes by its rotation the pinching of the bare wire between the connection element 22 and the

  conductor 18, 19, on which the connection element 22 is engaged.

  Each power terminal 20, 21 is mounted in the housing body 4 opposite a window 25 made therein for the passage of the bare wire

  electrical network correspondent.

  In order to disarm the user of the contactor 1 when connecting it to the network or to the electrical appliance, the connection element 22 has a projection 26 forming a shutter capable of closing the window 25 during the

  sliding of element 22 (FIG. 2).

  The contactor 1 further comprises two control terminals 27 for the

  connection of the coil to a supply control circuit thereof.

  Each first conductor 18 has an end portion 28 whose end carries or forms a fixed contact 29, while each second conductor 19 has an end portion 30 disposed opposite the end portion 28 of the first conductor 18, this end portion 30 carrying or also forming

a fixed contact 31.

  Each contact bridge 17, 17 'is in turn in the form of a conductive strip whose ends carry or form a movable contact 32, 33 capable of being applied against a fixed contact 29, 31 to connect between

them the drivers 18,19.

  The contact bridge 17, 17 'is able to occupy a closed position in which it establishes an electrical connection between the fixed contacts 29, 31 by means of, respectively, movable contacts 32, 33, and an open position in which it is remote from the conductors 18, 19, these

  movable contacts 32, 33 then being spaced from the fixed contacts 29, 31.

  The positions of the contact bridge 17, 17 'are controlled by the electro-

  magnet 3, and more specifically by the movement of the movable armature 14.

  There are two operating modes of the contactor 1, namely an operating mode called "closing", and an operating mode called

"opening".

  In the closing type operating mode, the contact bridge 17 is arranged to occupy its closed position, that is to say connect the fixed contacts 29, 31, in the working position of the movable armature 14, as it appears in FIGS. 4 and 5, as well as in FIG. 7. Such a contact bridge 17

is said to be of the "closing" type.

  In the rest position of the movable armature 14, the contact bridge 17 occupies its open position, as it appears in FIGS. 2 and 3, as well as

in figure 6.

  In the working position of the movable armature 14, the contact bridge 17 occupies its closed position, as it appears in FIGS. 4, 5, as well as

in figure 7.

  In the opening operating mode, the contact bridge, referenced 17 'for clarity, is arranged to occupy its closed position, that is to say to connect the fixed contacts 29, 31, in the position of rest of the movable armature 14, as it appears in FIGS. 8 and 9, as well as

  in FIG. 12. Such a contact bridge 17 ′ is said to be of the “opening” type.

  In the working position of the movable armature 14, the contact bridge 17 'occupies its open position, as it appears in FIGS. 10 and 11, thus

as in Figure 13.

  The contactor 1 is arranged to operate both when opening and when

  closure, as shown in what follows.

  The actuator 16 has a U-shaped section and includes a transverse base forming a contact carrier block 34 of which protrude two opposite parallel branches 35 which each have an end 36 engaged on the end of a transverse rod 37 passing through a bore movable frame

  14, so that the actuator 16 is coupled to the movable armature 14.

  The contact holder block 34 includes two paired contact holders 38 located

  substantially in the extension of the branches 35.

  Each contact carrier 38 comprises two superimposed compartments, namely an upper compartment 39 adapted to receive a contact bridge 17 of the closing type, as well as a lower compartment 40 adapted to receive a bridge

  contact type 17 'of the opening type.

  The upper compartment 39 and the lower compartment 40 are separated from each other by a partition 41 having two opposite faces respectively forming a first abutment surface 42 looking towards the movable frame 14, and a second abutment surface 43 looking opposite. The upper compartment 39 is delimited longitudinally on the one hand by the first abutment surface 42, on the other hand by a transverse face 44 facing the latter, and, transversely, by two upper walls 75,

longitudinal, opposite.

  In closing operating mode, a contact bridge 17 of the closing type is inserted into the upper compartment 39 while being biased towards its closed position by a contact spring 45 operating under compression, which is associated with it, and which rests on the one hand on the contact bridge 17, and on the other hand against the transverse face 44, so that the assembly

  contact bridge 17- spring 45 is embedded in the contact holder block 34.

  In order to avoid any deflection of the contact spring 45, its end situated on the side of the transverse face 44 is fitted on a stud 76 projecting from the latter, while its opposite end is housed in a hollow reserve 77 formed in the contact bridge 17, being held there by

  Through the upper walls 75.

  Accompanying the movable armature 14, the contact carrier block 34 moves longitudinally in a space 46 formed between, on the one hand the electromagnet 3, more particularly the fixed armature 13, and on the other hand a bottom wall 47 of the

housing body 4.

  In the working position of the movable armature 14, as it appears in FIGS. 4, 5, 7, the contact bridge 17 is pressed against the conductors 18,19 and held in this position by the spring contact 45

  which is compressed between the contact bridge 17 and the face 44.

  When the movable armature 14 returns to its rest position, towards which it is urged by the return spring 15, the contact bridge 17 is detached from the conductor 18, 19 while being driven towards its open position by the actuator 16, by means of the first abutment surface 42, against which the contact bridge 17 is pressed against by the relaxation of the contact spring 45

(Figures 2, 3, 6).

  The lower compartment 40 is delimited longitudinally, on the one hand by the partition 41, and on the other hand by a wall 48 substantially parallel to the partition 41, forming a free end of the actuator 16, and separating the compartment lower 40 of the bottom wall 47. The lower compartment 40 is delimited transversely by two lower walls 78,

longitudinal, opposite.

  In the operating mode with contactor 1 opening, a bridge

  contact 17 'with opening is inserted in the lower compartment 40.

  In the rest position of the movable armature 14, as it appears in FIGS. 8, 9, 12, the contact bridge 17 ′ is glued against the conductors 18, 19 while being held in this position by a spring of compression contact 49 which rests on the one hand on the contact bridge 17 ', and on the other hand on a bearing surface 50 of the bottom wall 47 of the housing body 4, turned

to the movable frame 14.

  In order to allow this arrangement, there is between the second abutment surface 43 and this bearing surface 50 a space adapted to receive the spring of

contact 49.

  It is thus made in the wall 48 of the lower compartment 40, a through hole 51 in which is engaged the contact spring 49, so that the latter is not found embedded in the contact holder block 34, but is

independent of the latter.

  Thus, in the rest position, the movable armature 14 is not stressed

  towards this position only by its return spring 15.

  When the movable armature 14 passes into its working position, as it appears in FIGS. 10, 11, 13, the actuator 16 drives the contact bridge 17 'towards its open position against its contact spring 49, by means

  of the second abutment surface 43 and against the return spring 15.

  The wall 48 makes it possible in particular to stiffen the contact carrier block 34, while the through hole 51, which here has a diameter slightly greater than that of the spring 49, makes it possible to avoid any bending and any untimely escape.

of it.

  And, in order to avoid any movement of the contact spring 49, its end situated on the side of the bottom wall 47 is fitted on a pin 52 projecting from the bottom wall 47 of the housing body 4 (FIGS. 8, 9), while its opposite end is housed in the hollow reserve 77 formed in the contact bridge

  17 ', while being held there by means of the lower walls 78.

  Furthermore, the spring 49 has, without stress, a propeller pitch, that is to say

  that is to say a distance between two successive turns, of value less than that of the thickness of the partition 48, so as to avoid any risk of engagement of the

  spring 49 with the partition 48 between two successive turns.

  The electromagnet 3 will now be described in more detail. The carcass 12 is of substantially I-shaped section, and comprises a base 54 as well as a plate 55 connected by a hollow central core 56 around which is wound the coil 11 which is trapped between the base 54 and

the plate 55.

  Each frame 13, 14 has an E-shaped section, and has two end branches 57 framing the coil 11 and its carcass 12, thus

  that a central branch 58 engaged inside the core 56.

  The carcass 12 has four feet 59 which project from the base 54 in

  direction of the bottom wall 47 of the housing body 4.

  The latter comprises four legs 60, arranged opposite the feet 59. The legs 60 project from the bottom wall 47 with which they are

  coming from material, towards the carcass 12.

  The end part 30, 31 of each conductor 18, 19 is immobilized by being clamped, near the fixed contact 29, 31, between a first jaw belonging to the housing 2 and formed by one of the legs 60, and a second jaw belonging to the carcass 12, and formed by the corresponding foot 59. The assembly of the carcass 12 to the housing body 4 and the tightening of the

  end portions 28, 30 of the conductors 18, 19 are secured by two screws 61.

  Each screw 61 is inserted into a through hole 62 made in the bottom wall 47 of the housing body 4, and forming a passage for the screw 61, the latter being moreover engaged in a threaded bore 63 of the base 54, located at

  look of the through hole 62 and coaxial with it.

  In order to guide the screw when assembling the carcass 12 to the housing body 4, the through hole 62 is made in a chimney 64

  projecting from the bottom wall 47 towards the carcass 12.

  The bore 63 is made in a barrel 65 projecting from the base 54

  towards the bottom wall 47, facing the chimney 64.

  When the carcass 12 is assembled to the housing body 4, the end portions 28, 30 of the conductors 18, 19 being disposed between the jaws 59, 60, there is between the housing body 4 and the carcass 12, at the level of the screws 61, a clearance J adapted to allow the clamping of the end portions 28, 30 between the jaws 59, 60 by means of the screws 61. Here, the clearance J is the distance which separates the chimney 64 from the barrel 65 when the assembly of the carcass 12 to the housing body 4 is produced, at least before

  that the conductors 18, 19 are not tightened.

  In addition, in order to maintain a tension on the screws 61 making it possible to avoid their loosening, the bottom wall 47 has a capacity to bend during the

  tightening the screws 61, towards the carcass 12.

  Thus, by its own elasticity, the bottom wall 47 exerts on the screws 61

  a traction which slows down their free rotation.

  When the conductors 18, 19 are tightened, the clearance J can be canceled, in particular by bending the bottom wall 47, the chimney 64 and the barrel then coming into contact. This prevents excessive tightening of the screws 61, which

  could damage or even break the housing body 4.

  Furthermore, the actuator 16 is guided in its movement by grooves provided for this purpose in the housing body, while it is biased towards the rest position by the return spring 15 which is compressed, in the space 46, between the contact carrier block 34 and the bottom wall 47 of the body

housing 4.

  In order to guide it, the return spring 15 is firstly inserted into the bore of a cylindrical well 66 produced in the contact carrier block 34 and

located between contact holders 38.

  The return spring 15 is on the other hand fitted on a stud 53 forming a stop for the spring 15, and projecting from the bottom wall 47 with

which it came from.

  The contactor 1 comprises other constituent elements, which are described

succinctly now.

  There is provided, inter alia, a plate 67 snapped into the housing body 4, on which is slidably mounted a pusher 68 movable between three stable positions, namely an automatic operating position, a

  forced operation position, as well as a deactivation position.

  The plate 67 also forms a guide for a lever 69, one end of which is fitted on the rod 37, while the other end forms a retractable indicator 70 capable of appearing or disappearing, depending on the position of the movable frame 14, next to a window 71 closed by a shutter

  72 allowing access to the pusher 68.

  Furthermore, the base 54 of the carcass 12 has, between two adjacent feet 59 located on the same side of the base 54, a housing 73 in which is

introduced the fixed frame 13.

  This housing 73 has a transverse abutment surface 74 extended between the feet 59, looking towards the bottom wall 47 of the housing body 4, and against which the fixed frame 13 is pressed in the working position of the frame 14. By against, in the rest position of the latter, there is a clearance between the fixed frame 13 and this abutment surface 73, while the contact carrier block 34 is pressed against a rib 79 of the base 54 (Figures 6, 15 in particular ). According to a first alternative embodiment not shown, each contact carrier 38 comprises a single compartment of the type of the lower compartment described above and suitable for receiving both a contact bridge of the type

  closing than an opening type contact bridge.

  In this case, the first abutment surface 42 is carried by the wall 48 of the compartment, while the second abutment surface 43 is formed by an upper transverse face of the compartment, opposite the first

abutment surface 42.

  Furthermore, it is possible, depending on the configuration of the contactor 1, to use only one clamping screw 61, or to use a number

strictly greater than two.

  In addition, in order to simplify the manufacture of the contactor 1, it may be advantageous to produce the threading of the bore 63 during assembly, by means of the screw 61 itself, the latter then exercising a function

additional tap.

  And, according to a second variant embodiment, not shown, it is also possible to replace the screws 61 by other similar tightening means making it possible to achieve the same result. We can in particular

use rivets or nails.

  According to a third alternative embodiment, the conductors are immobilized by being clamped between the jaws 59, 60, elsewhere than at their ends, depending on the configuration of the contactor, the shape or the arrangement.

conductors.

  According to a fourth variant, not shown, the contactor is multipolar, for example of the quadrupole type, the contact carrier block comprising for this purpose two pairs of contact carriers, one of these pairs operating by

  example on opening, while the other of these pairs works on closing.

  It is of course possible to combine the different

  variants without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

  1. Electromechanically controlled contactor, comprising, in a fixed housing (2): - at least one pair of conductors (18, 19) carrying or forming a fixed contact (29, 31); - at least one contact bridge (17, 17 ') capable of occupying a closed position in which it establishes an electrical connection between the fixed contacts (29, 31), and an open position in which it is located at a distance said fixed contacts (29, 31); an electromagnet (3) comprising: - a coil (11); - a fixed frame (13) associated with said coil (11); - a movable frame (14); said electromagnet (3) admitting a rest position in which the armatures (13, 14) are spaced from each other, and a working position in which the armatures (13, 14) are pressed against it one against the other; - an actuator (16) coupled to said movable frame (14) to drive said contact bridge (17, 17 '); - a carcass (12) carrying said coil (11), and assembled to said housing (2); said contactor (1) being characterized in that: - each conductor (18, 19) is immobilized by being clamped between a first jaw (60) belonging to the housing (2) and a second jaw (59) belonging to the carcass ( 12); - Said carcass (12) is assembled to the housing (2) by means of at least one clamping means (61); - There is between the housing (2) and the carcass (12), at said clamping means (61), a clearance (J) adapted to allow the clamping of said conductor (18, 19)   between the jaws (59, 60) by means of said clamping means (61).   2. Contactor according to claim 1, characterized in that said carcass (12) comprises a base (54) which has at least one foot (59) forming said second jaw, projecting longitudinally towards said first jaw, and in that the housing (2) comprises, opposite said foot (59), at least one tab (60) forming said first jaw, projecting   longitudinally from the housing (2) towards said carcass (12).   3. Contactor according to claim 2, characterized in that, said contactor (1) comprising two pairs of conductors (18, 19), said base (54) comprises four feet (59) substantially parallel, while the housing (2) comprises four legs (60) opposite said feet (59) for tightening the four conductors (18, 19).   4. Contactor according to claim 3, characterized in that said base (54) has, between two adjacent feet (59), a housing (73) adapted to receiving said fixed frame (13).   5. Contactor according to claim 4, characterized in that said housing (73) has an abutment surface (74) extended between said feet (59), against which said fixed armature (13) can be pressed against in position work of the electromagnet (3), while there is provided between said abutment surface (74) and said fixed armature (14) a clearance in the rest position the electromagnet (3).   6. Contactor according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that   said clamping means (61) is a screw.   7. Contactor according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that   that said clamping means (61) is a screw, and in that said housing (2) has a through hole (62) forming a passage for the screw (61), and in that said base (54) has, in sight of said through hole (62), a bore   (63) able to receive said screw (61), coaxial with said through hole (62).   8. Contactor according to claim 7, characterized in that said through hole (62) is made in a chimney (64) projecting from the housing (2) towards the carcass (12).   9. Contactor according to claim 8, characterized in that said bore (63) is formed in a barrel (65) which is provided with the base (54), look of said chimney (64).   10. Contactor according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in   that the housing (2) has a capacity to flex, in line with said clamping means   (61), towards the carcass (12).   11. Contactor according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that   that each conductor (18, 19) has an end portion (28, 30) the end of which forms or carries said fixed contact (29, 31), and in that the conductor (18, 19) is immobilized, by being tightened between said jaws (59, 60), at its extreme part (28, 30).