FR2891395A1 - Disconnection module for electrical apparatus e.g. circuit-breaker, has two pairs of mobile contacts coupled by rotation driving mechanism that is arranged for inversing rotation of one pair with respect to other pair - Google Patents

Abstract

The module (1) has two pairs of mobile contacts (6a, 6a`, 6b, 6b`) mounted in rotation around a rotation axis (A) and coupled by a rotation driving mechanism (7). The driving mechanism is arranged for inversing rotation direction of one pair with respect to the other pair so that in interlocked position current circulates from an upstream fixed contact (4a) to a downstream fixed contact (4b) in describing a crossed loop (B).

Description

CUTTING MODULE FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS AND ELECTRICAL APPARATUS EOUIPE

OF SUCH A MODULE

  TECHNICAL FIELD: The present invention relates to a switchgear module for electrical apparatus comprising at least one housing provided with at least four fixed contacts, including an upstream fixed contact intended to be coupled to an input connection terminal, a fixed contact downstream device for coupling to an output connection terminal and two intermediate fixed contacts electrically connected to each other by a fuse or bridging, and at least two pairs of movable contacts, including a pair of upstream movable contacts and a pair of downstream movable contacts, intended to be coupled to a control member to be displaced between at least one engaged position in which the movable contacts are in contact with the fixed contacts and the electrical circuit is closed and a triggered position in which they are not not in contact with the fixed contacts and the electrical circuit is open.

  The invention also relates to an electrical apparatus comprising at least one breaking module as defined above and at least one control module comprising said control member.

  PRIOR ART: The electrical appliances concerned by the present invention are in particular switches, fuse switches, circuit breakers, and any single or polyphase electrical switching device used to distribute and control the electrical energy of an installation of a few tens to a few hundred amperes. The publication FR-2.818.434 by the same holder describes an example of an electrical apparatus provided with a quadruple-cut mechanism in which the rotational movement of the control member is transformed into a translation movement of the moving contacts by a system. cam cooperating with sliders. This mechanism is doubled to double the movable contacts and allow the circulation of high currents with parts of reduced size. In this principle, the latching and tripping speeds are not fast enough to limit the formation of arcing at each change of state of the apparatus taking into account the complex kinematics connecting the control member to the moving contacts. . This results in premature wear of the electrical contact areas and spurious effects in the transient states.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to propose a breaking module having a better electromagnetic behavior thanks to an operating kinematic allowing faster engagement and triggering speeds to reduce the electric arcs and reduce their effects. Another object of the invention is to propose a so-called universal cut-off module, of a reduced cost price, that can be combined with other identical cut-off modules to cover several versions of electrical cut-off devices, but also to realize different electrical devices, such as simple switches, simple or overlapping switches, etc. For this purpose, the invention relates to a cut-off module of the type indicated in the preamble, characterized in that the two pairs of movable contacts are rotatably mounted around the same axis of rotation and are coupled by a drive mechanism. in rotation arranged to reverse the direction of rotation of one pair relative to the other pair so that in the engaged position the current flows from the upstream fixed contact to the downstream fixed contact by describing a cross-loop.

  This simple kinematics makes it possible to obtain a higher cut-off speed thus limiting the formation of electric arcs. In addition, the inverse rotation of the moving contacts, which generates a cross-loop current flow, has the effect of reversing and thus canceling the magnetic fields induced by the current in the two branches of the loop.

  In a preferred embodiment, the fixed contacts are arranged in pairs in two breaking chambers, superimposed in the housing and electrically insulated from each other, by at least one intermediate wall intended to be traversed by the control member. ordered. The fixed contacts of the same pair and the movable contacts of the same pair are advantageously diametrically opposed with respect to the axis of rotation.

  At least one pair of movable contacts is adapted to be coupled to the rotary controller, the other pair of movable contacts being rotated in opposite direction by said gear drive mechanism. This drive mechanism may comprise at least two identical and parallel toothed wheels, each toothed wheel being coupled to a pair of movable contacts, and at least one pinion or at least two diametrically opposite pinions meshing with the two toothed wheels.

  Preferably at least the mobile or fixed contacts comprise at least two electrically conductive blades forming a clamp for gripping the blade of the other fixed or movable contacts. In this case, at least the fixed or mobile contacts have beveled leading edges facilitating their interlocking in the engaged position with the other movable or fixed contacts.

Brief description of the drawings:

  The present invention and its advantages will appear better in the following description of an embodiment given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a breaking module according to the invention in the engaged position, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cutoff module of FIG. 1 in the tripped position, FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views of the cut-off module respectively of FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the driving mechanism of the cutting module of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the driving mechanism of FIG. 5, and FIGS. 7 to 9 are perspective views of FIG. three different versions of electrical apparatus made from the breaking module according to the invention.

  Illustrations of the invention: With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the breaking module 1 according to the invention is intended to equip electrical appliances (not shown) such as switches, fuse switches and other breaking devices. This cut-off module 1 corresponds to a pole or a phase of the electrical distribution network. The electrical apparatus in question is therefore equipped with an arrangement of cutoff modules 1, superimposed, preferably identical, equal to the number of poles of the network or the electrical installation to be powered. These electrical devices can be manually operated or motorized. They comprise for this purpose a control module, superimposed on the cut-off modules 1, provided with a control shaft (not shown) passing through said breaking modules 1 and coupled to a rotary handle or motor.

  BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The cut-off module 1 according to the invention comprises a housing 2, partially shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, of parallelepipedal shape, defining two breaking chambers 2a, 2b superimposed and separated by an intermediate wall. 3 electrically insulating (see Fig. 3 and 4). Figures 1 and 2 show the inside of the housing 2 without the intermediate wall 3 for a question of clarity.

  This breaking module 1 comprises four fixed contacts 4a, a ', b, b', separated into two pairs 4a, a 'and 4b, b', each pair being arranged in a breaking chamber 2a, 2b. An upstream fixed contact 4a intended to be coupled to an input connection terminal 40a (see FIG 3) and an intermediate fixed contact 4a 'are arranged in a so-called upstream breaking chamber 2a. A downstream fixed contact 4b intended to be coupled to an output connection terminal 40b (see FIG 3) and an intermediate fixed contact 4b 'are arranged in the other so-called downstream interrupting chamber 2b. The two intermediate fixed contacts 4a ', b' are electrically interconnected by a fuse 5 outside the housing 2. They can also be connected to each other by a bridging according to the version of the electrical appliance to be produced. The fuse 5 is mounted on the housing 2 and connected to the intermediate fixed contacts 4a ', b' in a known manner by fuse holders 5 '.

  This breaking module 1 also comprises two pairs of movable contacts 6a, a 'and 6b, b', a pair of upstream movable contacts 6a, a 'is disposed in the upstream cutoff chamber 2a to cooperate with the pair of fixed contacts. upstream 4a, a 'and a pair of downstream movable contacts 6b, b' is disposed in the downstream breaking chamber 2b to cooperate with the pair of downstream fixed contacts 4b, b '. The two pairs of movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' are rotatably mounted around a same axis of rotation A and are coupled to each other by a rotating drive mechanism 7, arranged to reverse the rotation. direction of rotation of one pair with respect to the other pair. One of the pairs of movable contacts 6b, b 'is coupled directly to the control member of the electrical apparatus, consisting in particular of a rotary control shaft disposed in said axis of rotation A and fitted into a housing 70 of complementary shape . This connection can also be performed indirectly depending on the type of control member. This control member combined with the drive mechanism 7 makes it possible to move the pairs of movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' between at least one engaged position in which they are in contact with the fixed contacts 4a, a ', b , b 'and the electric circuit is closed and a triggered position in which they are not in contact with the fixed contacts and the electrical circuit is open. The inverted rotation of the two pairs of movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' ensures that in the on position, the current flows from the upstream fixed contact 4a to the downstream fixed contact 4b by describing a cross-loop B as represented by the dashed line in Figure 1.

  The fixed contacts 4a, a 'and 4b, b' of the same pair and the movable contacts 6a, a 'and 6b, b' of the same pair are diametrically opposed with respect to the axis of rotation A. They present flat electrical contact areas disposed in planes perpendicular to this axis of rotation A and able to slide relative to each other during changes of position. They are in particular formed of electrically conductive blades. To ensure good electrical contact, the movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' are formed of two parallel blades forming a clamp for gripping the single blade of the fixed contacts 4a, a ', b, b'. The opposite is also possible. To promote the engagement of the clamps on the blades in the engaged position, at least the fixed contacts 4a, a ', b, b' comprise beveled leading edges, the movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' also being able to to be equipped. In the example shown, the fixed contacts 4a, a 'and 4b, b' are arranged in the corners, 2891395 7 on the diagonals of the box 2 of square shape, and the movable contacts 6a, a 'and 6b, b' s extend radially from a central hub 7a, 7b of axis A. The drive mechanism 7 is a gear mechanism having at least two identical and parallel gears 71, 72, each gear 71, 72 being coupled to a pair of movable contacts 6a, a 'and 6b, b' and at least one pinion 73 meshing with the two toothed wheels 71, 72. In the example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the toothed wheels 71, 72 are crowns integral with the central hub 7a, 7b and the pinions 73 are four in number, distributed on the periphery of the toothed wheels 71, 72 arranged at right angles in pairs. This drive mechanism 7 is very simple and allows in a small space the reversal of the direction of rotation of the second pair of movable contacts 6a, a 'with respect to the first pair of movable contacts 6b, b' directly driven by the control member of the electrical apparatus. Of course, the pinions 73 are mounted on a carrier (not shown) fixed to the housing 2 and the hubs 7a, 7b are guided in rotation along the axis of rotation A by complementary shapes (not shown) provided in the case 2.

  Any other drive mechanism to achieve the same result may be suitable.

  The breaking module 1 comprises an anti-arc device 8 consisting of four series of electrically insulating strips 80 arranged in the housing 2, at least downstream of the fixed contacts 4a, a ', b, b' and oriented substantially perpendicularly to the circuit B electrical current when the transition from the engaged position to the triggered position as shown in Figure 2. These strips 80 comprise a V-shaped cutout to not interfere with the movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' during their rotation and can limit the formation of arcing between the fixed contacts 2891395 8 4a, a ', b, b' and the movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' during the interruption of the electrical circuit by cutting the conductivity of the air.

  Possibilities of industrial application: The breaking module 1 according to the invention is designed in a simple and economical way. Its housing 2, its intermediate wall 3 and its hubs 7a, 7b are made of electrically insulating materials, preferably molded or injected plastics. The housing 2 is formed of two interlocking parts corresponding to the two breaking chambers 2a, 2b. These two parts include the bars 80 forming the anti-arc device 8. The fixed contacts 4a, a ', b, b' and mobile 6a, a ', b, b' are formed of substantially rectangular blades, made of electrically conductive material, with or without electrical contact pads. The fixed contacts 4a, a ', b, b' are reported in the housing 2 by interlocking in suitable housings and the movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' are reported in the hubs 7a, 7b by overmolding for example. Of course, any other suitable means of assembly is possible.

  The assembly of such a breaking module 1 can be carried out as follows.

  In a first part of the housing 2 forming, for example, the upstream cutoff chamber 2a, the pair of upstream fixed contacts 4a, a 'and the hub 7a equipped with its pair of upstream movable contacts 6a, a' are put in place. The intermediate wall 3 and the planet carrier equipped with these pinions 73 are placed on the hub 7a. In the second part of the casing 2 forming the downstream cut-off chamber 2b, the pair of downstream fixed contacts 4b, b 'and the hub 7b equipped with its pair of downstream movable contacts 6b, b' are put in place. This second part is superimposed on the first part and assembled by forced fitting, screwing or any suitable means. The fuse holders 5 'and the fuse 5 are mounted on the casing 2. This cut-off module 1 is ready to be assembled by superposing on other identical cut-off modules 1 and on a control module 2891395 for forming a device. electrical multipole breaking, the control member passing through the various cut-off modules 1 through the housings 2 to fit into the corresponding housing 70.

  This cut-off module 1 allows a simple, optimal and reliable use. In the engaged position, shown in Figures 1 and 3, the power supply network current enters the breaking module 1 by an input connection terminal coupled to the upstream fixed contact 4a. It passes through the fuse 5 via the upstream movable contact pair 6a, a 'and a first intermediate fixed contact 4a' inside the upstream cut-off chamber 2a. It is directed in an electrical installation by an output connection terminal coupled to the downstream fixed contact 4b passing through the second intermediate fixed contact 4b 'and the downstream movable contact pair 6b, b' oriented in a direction perpendicular to that of the upstream moving contact pair 6a, a '. The path of the current in the engaged position forms the cross-loop represented by the arrowed line B. To move to the triggered position, represented by FIGS. 2 and 4, the pair of moving downstream contacts 6b, b 'is driven in rotation along the axis rotation A in the counterclockwise direction represented by the arrows C in direct contact with the control member of the electrical apparatus. This rotational movement is transmitted and reversed by the drive mechanism 7 to the upstream movable pair of contacts 6a, a 'which is driven simultaneously and without inertia in the clockwise direction represented by the arrows C'. When the movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b' leave the fixed contacts 4a, a ', b, b', the current continues to flow for a very short period of time forming electric arcs between said contacts. The current path during this transient state forms an omega represented by the arrow line B '. The kinematics of the movement of the movable contacts 6a, a ', b, b', being simple, direct, without loss and without inertia, makes it possible to obtain a very fast breaking speed by rotary displacement of the movable contacts 6a, a ', b , b 'with respect to the fixed contacts 4a, a', b, b '. The immediate effect observed is the very fast stretching of the electric arcs, thus also a faster disappearance of these arcs, in comparison with the mechanisms of cut by translation. As a result, the harmful side effects caused by these electric arcs are clearly diminished or even insignificant. In addition, the presence of the bars 80 on this path B 'tends to cut the conductivity of the air, which limits or even eliminates the creation of arcing. The result contributes to obtain a module of cutoff 1 much more powerful and of a great reliability in the time.

  This cut-off module 1 has also been designed to allow the realization of other electrical appliances using the same components, helping to significantly reduce the cost. FIGS. 7 to 9 illustrate, by three examples, the possibilities offered by such a cut-off module 1 whose new design can be described as universal.

  Figure 7 illustrates a simple switch 10 at two positions 0-I. It is formed of a single part of the housing 2 for example of the downstream breaking chamber 2b and has only one pair of fixed contacts 4b, b 'and a pair of movable contacts 6b, b', the hub 7b being intended to be coupled to a control member.

  Fig. 8 illustrates a three position switch 11-O-II. It is formed from the breaking module 1 in which the fuse 5 has been replaced by a bridging 9, the drive mechanism 7 has been removed and the hubs 7a and 7b which are intended to be coupled to an element have been secured. control. The two fixed contacts 4a and 4b form the two upstream contacts of the switch each coupled to a supply network and the bridging 9 forms a common downstream contact coupled to the electrical installation.

  FIG. 9 illustrates a four-position overlap switch I-I + 1I-II-0. It is formed from the breaking module 1 in which the fuse 5 has been replaced by a bridging 9, the drive mechanism 7 has been omitted and the hubs 7a and 7b which are intended to be coupled to a control member have been secured. the simple fixed contacts have been replaced by fixed contacts provided with a covering area. The two fixed contacts 4a and 4b form two upstream contacts each coupled to a power supply network and the bridging 9 forms a common downstream contact coupled to the electrical installation.

  It is clear from this description that the invention achieves the goals.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described but extends to any modification and variation obvious to a person skilled in the art while remaining within the scope of protection defined in the appended claims.

Claims (9)

claims   An interrupting module (1) for electrical apparatus comprising at least one housing (2) provided with at least four fixed contacts (4a, a ', b, b'), including an upstream fixed contact (4a) intended to be coupled to an input terminal, a downstream fixed contact (4b) for coupling to an output connection terminal and two intermediate fixed contacts (4a ', b') electrically connected to each other by a fuse (5) or bridging, and at least two pairs of movable contacts (6a, a ', b, b'), including a pair of upstream movable contacts (6a, a ') and a pair of downstream movable contacts (6b, b') '), to be coupled to a control member to be displaced between at least one engaged position in which they are in contact with the fixed contacts and the electrical circuit is closed and a triggered position in which they are not in contact with the fixed contacts and the electrical circuit is open, characterized in that the two pairs of contacts movable (6a, a ', b, b') are rotatably mounted about a same axis of rotation (A) and are coupled by a drive mechanism (7) in rotation arranged to reverse the direction of rotation of one pair relative to the other pair so that in the engaged position the current flows from the upstream fixed contact (4a) to the downstream fixed contact (4b) by describing a cross-loop (B).   2. Cut-off module according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixed contacts (4a, a ', b, b') are arranged in pairs in two breaking chambers (2a, 2b); superimposed in said housing (2) and electrically insulated from each other.   3. Cut-off module according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixed contacts (4a, a ', b, b') of the same pair and the movable contacts (6a, a ', b, b') of the same pair are diametrically opposed with respect to said axis of rotation (A).   4. Switching module according to claim 2, characterized in that said housing (2) comprises at least one electrically insulating intermediate wall (3) disposed between the two breaking chambers (2a, 2b), said intermediate wall (3) being intended to be traversed by said control member.   5. Switching module according to claim 1, characterized in that a pair of movable contacts (6b, b ') is intended to be coupled to said rotary control member and in that the drive mechanism (7) is a gear mechanism arranged to rotate the other pair of movable contacts (6a, a ') in the opposite direction.   Switching module according to Claim 5, characterized in that the drive mechanism (7) comprises at least two identical and parallel toothed wheels (71, 72), each gear wheel (71, 72) being coupled to a pair movable contacts (6a, a ', b, b'), and at least one pinion (73) meshing with the two toothed wheels (71, 72).   7. Cutoff module according to claim 6, characterized in that the drive mechanism (7) comprises at least two pinions (73) diametrically opposed meshing the two toothed wheels (71, 72).   8. Switching module according to claim 1, characterized in that at least the movable or fixed contacts comprise at least two electrically conductive blades forming a clamp for gripping the blade of the other fixed or movable contacts and in that at least the fixed or movable contacts have beveled leading edges facilitating their interlocking in the engaged position with the other movable or fixed contacts.   9. Electrical apparatus, characterized in that it comprises at least one switching module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims and at least one control module comprising said control member.