FR3031234A1 - MODULAR APPARATUS WITH RETRACTABLE CONNECTION PIONEER AND SELF-PROTECTED ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING SUCH A MODULAR APPARATUS CONNECTED TO A CIRCUIT BREAKER - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a modular apparatus (300) comprising a housing (310) provided with two parallel main lateral faces (313) parallel to one of which is adapted to be joined to another modular apparatus, the housing housing transfer elements state and a pin (133) linked to one of these elements (131). According to the invention, said pin is adapted to be displaced in translation along an axis (X) perpendicular to one of the main lateral faces between a retracted position in which said pin is placed inside the housing set back from said lateral main face. and an extended position in which said pin passes through an opening in said side main face to extend outside said housing projecting from said side main face. The invention also relates to a self-protected electrical assembly comprising a protective device as mentioned above and a circuit breaker assembled with one another by one of their main lateral faces.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD TO WHICH THE INVENTION RELATES The present invention relates generally to the field of modular apparatus for use in electrical distribution boards. It relates more particularly to a modular apparatus comprising a housing provided with two parallel main lateral faces by one of which it is adapted to be attached to another modular apparatus, the housing housing state transfer elements and a linked pin. to one of these elements. The modular device in question here is advantageously an auxiliary device, such as an adaptable differential block, a fault signal block, or an adaptable surge arrester block. It also relates to a self-protected electrical assembly comprising a transient overvoltage protection device and a circuit breaker assembled with one another by one of their main lateral faces. BACKGROUND ART The pin of this type of auxiliary modular apparatus already known is positioned permanently protruding from the main lateral face by which said apparatus is intended to be attached to the master apparatus, in general, a circuit breaker. Usually, this pin establishes the mechanical connection between the circuit breaker opening and closing lever and the status transfer elements of the modular device so that the latter is able to indicate to the user the state of the device. opening or closing of the circuit breaker. This is why this pawn is frequently referred to as an auxiliary pawn. In order for the circuit-breaker / auxiliary device assembly to function properly, it is necessary to make, when assembling the two devices, a correct connection between the opening and closing device of the circuit-breaker and the auxiliary pin of the auxiliary device. . The permanently protruding positioning of this auxiliary pin does not facilitate the assembly of the auxiliary device and the circuit breaker. In certain configurations of electrical panel, it requires the installer to operate either of the modular devices in a movement of 3031234 2 rocking or pivoting. Such a rocking movement is not suitable for all auxiliary devices that have different configurations. It is not particularly suitable for lightning arrester blocks. Indeed, the installer must generally remove the lightning arrester cassettes from the modular arrester block to be able to tilt it and assemble it correctly to the associated circuit breaker. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention then proposes a modular device that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks. More particularly, it is proposed according to the invention a modular apparatus 10 as defined in the introduction, characterized in that said pin is adapted to be moved in translation along an axis perpendicular to one of the main lateral faces between a retracted position in which said pin is placed inside the housing recessed from said lateral main face and an extended position in which said pin passes through an opening provided in said lateral main face to extend outside said housing projecting from said lateral main face . Other non-limiting and advantageous features of the modular apparatus according to the invention are the following: - a lock is provided for locking the securing of one modular device to the other, this lock forming a means axial movement of said pin between its retracted and outgoing positions; the housing accommodates a fixed L-shaped profile support with a right angle return oriented perpendicularly to the main lateral faces of the housing and said pin comprises a base which, in the retracted position of said pin, is placed against a face of the said support return; fixed, this face of the return of said fixed support forming a guiding surface against which the base of said pin is adapted to slide during the axial displacement of said pin between its retracted and extended positions; the housing houses a control portion which has a groove extending in a direction parallel to one of the lateral main faces of the housing, and said pin comprises a base provided with a mounting tail mounted in the groove of said housing; control part, this control part being operable from the outside of the housing to be displaced in translation in a direction oblique with respect to said respective main lateral face, the displacement in translation in the oblique direction of the driving part 3031234 3 driving translational movement of said pin along the axis perpendicular to said main lateral face concerned; said control portion is attached to the latch for locking the lashing of said modular apparatus to the other modular apparatus; 5 - said housing houses a fork whose head encloses a plate fixedly supporting said pin, the fork being slidably mounted on an axis perpendicular to a lateral main face of said housing and said plate being slidably and pivotably mounted on an assembly axis; parallel to said axis of sliding of the fork, the fork having a handle 10 operable from outside the housing to translate said fork between a retracted position and an advanced position in a direction perpendicular to said main lateral face concerned, the translational movement of the fork causing the displacement in translation of the plate and the pin along the mounting axis perpendicular to said main lateral face concerned; An edge of said plate in the retracted position is locked against the edge of at least one rib carried by a fixed part of said housing so as to block the pivoting of this plate around its mounting axis, this edge of the plate being released from any support when said plate is in the advanced position so that the plate is pivotable about its mounting axis; said fork is attached to the lock for locking the lashing of said modular apparatus to the other modular apparatus; the lock includes a stroller mounted in translation in an oblique direction inside said housing through an opening provided in a front portion of said housing, and adapted to be moved from outside said housing between a position unlocked wherein a portion of said stroller-zipper emerges outside the housing and a locked position wherein said stroller-zipper is fully engaged within the housing; the pull-stroller carries a rib extending in said oblique direction slidably engaged in an oblique groove provided in an internal face of the front wall of the housing; at least one hook which can be actuated by said latch is provided, the latter being able to move said hook between two positions, namely a rest position in which it is placed inside the housing and a hooking position. 3031234 4 in which it emerges out of the housing projecting from one of the main lateral faces of the housing; said control portion, said stroller and said hook belong to a single molded piece made of plastic; 5 - the handle of said fork has a pin engaged in a groove of the stroller-zipper of said latch; it constitutes a modular interface intended to ensure the mechanical and electrical connection in series of a circuit-breaker and a device for protection against temporary overvoltages, in particular of atmospheric origin, interface which comprises: an electrical switch connected to a connector capable of transmitting a signal representative of the operating state of the circuit breaker and / or the protection device, and a first mechanical safety element intended to be connected to the opening and closing device of the circuit breaker, movable between a armed position corresponding to the engaged state of the device for opening and closing the circuit breaker and a triggered position corresponding to the tripped state of the circuit breaker opening and closing device, the first mechanical safety element being suitable in this case; triggered position to actuate the electric switch to transmit a representative signal the first mechanical safety element comprising a plate through which said pin is movably mounted in axial translation between its two retracted and extended positions. The invention also relates to a temporary overvoltage protection device, comprising a modular block provided with a receiving housing accommodating at least one pluggable / pluggable surge arrester 25 containing an overvoltage limiting device and a fusible link which establishes the connection. electrical device of the overvoltage limiting device to an electrical terminal of the modular block, wherein the modular block comprises a housing which houses a modular interface according to the invention, each actuator associated with a lightning arrester cassette being, on the one hand, connected to said housing by an elastic return means which tends to position said actuator in a release position where it places said lever in a release position corresponding to the triggered position of the arm of said second mechanical safety element, and, on the other hand, maintained by an element of the surge arrester cassette linked to the fusible link e, in a connecting position in which said elastic return means 3031234 is under stress. The invention finally relates to an electrical assembly self-protected against transient overvoltages comprising an apparatus for protection against temporary overvoltages, in particular of atmospheric origin, and a circuit breaker 5 mechanically and electrically connected to each other via an interface modular according to the invention, the housing comprises a main lateral face junction with the circuit breaker through which said pin placed in the extended position which links said first mechanical safety element to the opening and closing device of said circuit breaker.

Preferably, in this assembly according to the invention, the bottom of the groove of said control part forms a driving surface which, when opening said latch causing the displacement of said control part in said oblique direction, is capable of pressing said pin in the extended position to force it to move slightly against the front edge of said fixed support, in a direction generally transverse to its direction of axial displacement so that said pin causes the lowering of said device; opening and closing said circuit breaker to the tripped state of the circuit breaker. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, given as non-limiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be achieved. In the accompanying drawings: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an electrical assembly according to the invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the assembly of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is an electrical diagram of the assembly of Figure 1; FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the overvoltage protection apparatus of the assembly of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a front view of the protection device of FIG. 4; FIGS. 6 to 11 are different views of a cover-wire protecting and holding the electrical wires coming from the protective device of FIG. 4; FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the protection apparatus of FIG. 4 with its wire cover shown in exploded form; FIGS. 13 and 14 are perspective views, viewed from two opposite sides, of the base of the wire cover of FIG. 6; FIGS. 15 and 16 are perspective representations, viewed from two opposite sides, of the cover of the wire cover of FIG. 6; FIG. 17 is a view identical to that of FIG. 4 without the lightning arrestor cassettes; FIG. 18 is a view identical to that of FIG. 17 without the cover protecting and holding wires of the electrical wires coming from the protection device and without a part of the housing of this protection device to make appearing a preferred embodiment of the mechanism of a modular interface; Fig. 19 is a perspective view from below of a rear portion of the housing of the protective apparatus of Fig. 17; Figure 20 is a three quarter perspective view of the rear portion of the housing of Figure 19 which houses another simplified embodiment of the modular interface mechanism; Figure 21 is a perspective view from below of Figure 20; FIG. 22 is a diagrammatic perspective view of three quarters of the rear portion and the lower portion of the housing of the protection apparatus of FIG. 17, which houses the preferred embodiment of the mechanism of a modular interface. ; FIG. 23 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the mechanism of the modular interface of FIG. 22; Figures 24 and 25 are assembled perspective views, viewed from two opposite sides, of the mechanism of Figure 23; Figures 26 to 29 are side views of the mechanism of Figure 23 assembled in different operating configurations; 30 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the electrical assembly of FIG. 1, seen from the side of the transient overvoltage protection apparatus, on which the front and bottom portions of the housing of the protective device and a portion of the casing of a lightning arrester cassette connected to the electrical network, to reveal the surge arrester device of said surge arrester cassette; Figure 31 is a magnified view of a portion of Figure 30; FIG. 32 is a sectional detail view of the actuator associated with the overvoltage limiting device shown in FIG. 31; FIG. 33 is a view identical to that of FIG. 30 in which the lightning arrester cassette, whose housing is open, is disconnected from the electrical network; - Figure 34 is a magnifying view of a portion of Figure 33; FIG. 35 is a detail sectional view of the actuator associated with the overvoltage limiting device which appears in FIG. 33; FIG. 36 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the electrical assembly of FIG. 1, seen from the side of the transient overvoltage protection device, on which the circuit breaker is engaged, the wire cover has been removed as well as the housing of the protective device to show the arrester cassettes and a first embodiment of a cassette lock shaft in the safety position; Fig. 37 is a magnifying view of area B of Fig. 36; FIG. 38 is a schematic perspective view of the circuit breaker engaged, the mechanism of the modular interface and the first embodiment of the cassette lock shaft of the electrical assembly of FIG. 1; FIG. identical view to that of Figure 36 with the circuit breaker tripped and the first embodiment of the cassette locking shaft in the access position; FIG. 40 is a magnified view of zone B of FIG. 39; FIG. 41 is a schematic perspective view of the tripped circuit breaker, the mechanism of the modular interface and the first embodiment of the cassette lock shaft of the electrical assembly of FIG. 1; FIG. a diagrammatic perspective view from below of the electrical assembly of FIG. 1, on which the circuit breaker is engaged, the wire-cover has been removed as well as the housing of the protective device to make the lightning arrester cassettes appear; as well as a second embodiment of a cassette locking shaft in the safety position; FIG. 43 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the circuit breaker engaged, the mechanism of the modular interface and the second embodiment of the cassette locking shaft of the electrical assembly of FIG. 1; FIG. 44 is a view identical to that of FIG. 42 with the circuit breaker tripped and the second embodiment of the cassette locking shaft in the access position; and FIG. 45 is a schematic perspective view of the tripped circuit breaker, the mechanism of the modular interface and the second embodiment of the cassette lock shaft of the electrical assembly of FIG. 1; FIG. a schematic view in perspective of the tripped circuit breaker, the rear part of the protective device casing without the arrester cassettes, to display the mechanism of the modular interface and the connecting pin in the retracted position, linked to the open lower latch; FIG. 47 is a side view of the protective device without its main lateral wall for connection to the circuit breaker, without part of the mechanism of the modular interface to better visualize the connecting pin in the retracted position, connected to the lower open lock; FIG. 48 is a diagrammatic front view of the rear part of the housing of the protective device without the lightning arrestor cassettes, to display the mechanism of the modular interface and the connecting pin in the retracted position, linked to the lower lock. open; FIG. 49 is a schematic perspective view of the tripped circuit breaker, of the rear part of the protective device casing without the lightning arrestor cassettes, to display the mechanism of the modular interface and the link pin in the extended position, linked to the lower latch closed on the circuit breaker tripped; FIG. 50 is a side view of the protection device without its main lateral wall for joining the circuit breaker, without part of the mechanism of the modular interface to better visualize the link pin in the extended position, linked to the lower latch closed on the circuit breaker tripped; FIG. 51 is a diagrammatic front view of the rear part of the housing of the protection device without the lightning arrestor cassettes, to display the mechanism of the modular interface and the connection pin in the extended position, linked to the closed lower lock. on the circuit breaker tripped; FIG. 52 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the circuit breaker tripped, of the rear part of the protective device casing without the arrester cassettes, to display the mechanism of the modular interface and the link pin in the extended position. connected to the lower latch closed on the circuit breaker 5 latched; FIG. 53 is a side view of the protection device without its main lateral wall for connection to the circuit breaker, without part of the mechanism of the modular interface to better visualize the connection pin in the extended position, linked to the latch lower closed on the circuit breaker engaged; FIG. 54 is a diagrammatic front view of the rear part of the housing of the protection device without the lightning arrestor cassettes, to display the mechanism of the modular interface and the link pin in the extended position, linked to the lower lock. closed on the circuit breaker switched on; FIGS. 55 to 57 show in detail the lowering movement of the pin forced by the control portion of the lower lock pulled into the open position, which causes the circuit breaker to trip; Fig. 58 is a schematic perspective view of the tripped circuit breaker and another embodiment of the closed lower latch, connected to the link pin fixedly projecting from the side main side of the shielding apparatus; Fig. 59 is a detail sectional view of the pin and lock of Fig. 58; - Figure 60 is a view similar to that of Figure 58 with the circuit breaker engaged; Fig. 61 is a detailed sectional view of the pin and latch of Fig. 60; Fig. 62 is a view similar to that of Fig. 60 with the breaker tripped due to the opening of the bolt connected to the pin; ; and FIG. 63 is a detailed sectional view of the pin and the lock of FIG. 62. FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show an electrical assembly 1 comprising a protection device 300 against temporary overvoltages, in particular of atmospheric origin, and a circuit breaker 200. The protection device 300 is electrically and mechanically connected to the circuit breaker 200 by a modular interface 100. The circuit breaker 200 is in itself quite conventional and it will not not here described in detail. Essentially, the circuit breaker 200 comprises a housing housing electrical input and output terminals connected by an electrical circuit that can be opened by an opening and closing device 230. The case of the circuit breaker 200 is generally parallelepiped with two parallel main lateral faces 211, a rear face provided with a horizontal groove 202 for its mounting on a rail (not shown) of a box 10 or an electrical cabinet, a front face and two opposite transverse faces upper and lower . The rear, front, top and bottom faces are all perpendicular to the main lateral faces of the housing. The casing of the circuit breaker 200 has on its rear face latches 201 which make it possible to lock the circuit-breaker 200 on the rail of the box or of the electrical cabinet. More particularly, here the circuit breaker box 200 is equipped with four latches 201, two at the top (see Figure 2) and two at the bottom (see Figures 36, 38, 42 and 44) of the housing. Each latch 201 is in the form of a plate which slides in a corresponding vertical (not visible) rail of the housing, between a locking position and an unlocking position. There is provided elastic return means (not visible in the figures), generally coming from formation with each latch, which tend to recall each latch in the locking position. One of the ends of each latch 201 emerges in the groove 202 of the rear face of the housing, to engage the rail of the cabinet or electrical cabinet, in the locking position of the latch. The other opposite end of each latch 201 emerges above the top face or below the bottom face of the breaker case 200. This opposite end of each latch 201 is provided with an aperture 201A that allows each slot to be pulled out. latch 201 outwardly of the groove 202 from its locking position to its unlocking position against said resilient biasing means so as to release the latch 201 from its socket with the corresponding mounting rail. The front face of the casing of the circuit breaker 200, has in projecting, in its central zone, a part of frontage through which said casing is intended to emerge out of a plastron (not shown), through a window of this plastron, 3031234 11 when in place on the rail, for example in an electrical cabinet. The facade portion has a front face and two opposite transverse faces that extend at right angles to the front face of the circuit breaker housing. Levers attached to a handle 230 common maneuver protrude from the front face 5 of the front portion. These levers belong to the opening and closing device of the circuit breaker 200, they can be actuated by the handle 230 to manually open or close the electrical circuit connecting the input and output terminals of the circuit breaker 200 (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the circuit breaker 200 is turned on (closed electrical circuit), its levers and lever 230 are raised. On the other hand, the levers and the lever 230 are lowered (see FIGS. 39 and 41) when the circuit breaker 200 is tripped (open electrical circuit). The circuit breaker 200 is a modular device in the sense that its housing has a width, measured between its two main lateral faces 211, equal to an integer multiple of a base module M. Here, according to the example shown, the circuit breaker 200 is a three-phase circuit breaker (that is to say comprising three phase terminals L1, L2, L3 and a neutral terminal N) whose housing is quad-module (whose width is equal to 4 times the basic module) M), a module per pole of the circuit breaker 200. There is also provided a pole opening / closing lever of the circuit breaker 200, so four levers attached to the handle 230. The upper face of the circuit breaker box 200 comprises access openings to the input terminals of the circuit breaker 200 and the lower face of the circuit breaker box comprises access openings to the output terminals of the circuit breaker 200. As shown in the diagram of Figure 3, the 25 phase electrical wires L1, L2, L3 and neutral N (not shown) from the electrical network are connected, via said access openings of the upper face of the housing, to the input terminals of the circuit breaker 200 while the electrical wires F1, F2, F3, FN from the device 300 are connected, via said access openings of the lower face of the housing, to the output terminals of the circuit breaker 200.

Furthermore, the front face of the circuit breaker box 200 comprises openings giving access to the screws of the input and output terminals of the circuit breaker 200. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 12 and 17, the protection device 300 against transient overvoltages comprises a modular block 310 with two parallel main faces 311D, 313 parallel, a rear face 3031234 12 provided with a horizontal groove 311G for mounting on a rail (not shown) of a box or of an electrical cabinet, a front face 312A and two opposite transverse faces upper 311B, 312B and lower 311B, 312B. The rear, front, top and bottom faces are all perpendicular to the main lateral faces of the modular block. The width of the modular block 310, taken between its two main lateral faces 311 D, 313, is here also equal to four times the width of a basic module M. The front face 312A of the modular block 310 of the protective device 300, projecting, in its median zone, a front portion 312'A through which said modular block 310 is intended to emerge from a plastron (not shown), through a window of this plastron, when it is in place on the rail, for example in an electrical cabinet. The front portion 312'A comprises a front face and two opposite transverse faces which extend at right angles to the front face 312A of the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300.

As is more particularly shown in the electrical diagram of FIG. 3, the modular block is a housing which houses at least one varistor 333 associated with a thermal disconnection means 335, 700, a spark gap E and electric wires F1, F2, F3, FN respectively connected to each varistor 333 and the spark gap E, a portion of said electrical wires emerging outside the housing 20 to be connected to the output terminals L1, L2, L3, N of the circuit breaker 200. According to the example shown, the modular block 310 houses three varistors 333 connected, at the output, to the phase terminals L1, L2, L3 of the circuit breaker 200, and, as input, to the neutral terminal N of the circuit breaker 200 which is otherwise also connected to the spark gap E itself grounded.

The modular block 310 here comprises a housing rear portion 311 snapped together with a housing front portion 312 (see FIG. 17). The rear housing portion 311 of the modular block 310 shown in isolation in Figures 19 to 22, has a bottom 311A forming the rear wall of the modular block 310 whose outer face forms the rear face provided with the groove 311G. The bottom 311A is bordered by four walls 311B, 311D perpendicular to the bottom 311A, namely an upper wall 311B and a lower wall 311 B parallel to each other and two opposite side walls 311 D, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the upper and lower walls 311B . The upper and lower walls 311B of this housing rear portion 3031234 13 311 are provided near their free edge ratchet teeth 311E and an interlocking groove 311E adapted to cooperate with complementary arrangements 312E of the front part. The housing front portion 312 of the modular block 310 shown in isolation in FIG. 18 has a front wall 312A forming the front wall of the modular block 310 whose outer face forms the front face 312 of the modular block 310. front wall 312A also forms the front portion 312'A and delimits, in the central zone of the modular block 310, a housing 320 in recess of the front face of said block. This housing 320 is intended to accommodate three cassettes surge arresters 330 (see Figure 4). It is delimited by opposite lower walls 315 and 314 opposite, a side wall which closes one side of the front portion 312'A and a bottom wall 312C which closes said housing 320 at the rear. The bottom walls 315 and above 314 of the housing 320 comprise grooves 315A, 314A for mounting said lightning arrestor cassettes 330 which are plug-in / withdrawable into the modular block 310. These lower walls 315 and upper 314 also include openings 315C through which the pins 801 engage and 802 of said surge arresters 330 to realize the electrical and mechanical connection thereof in the modular block 310 (see Figures 30 and 33). In addition, the bottom wall 312C of the housing 320 includes openings 312D (see FIGS. 17 and 18), the contour of which is adapted to allow insertion in these openings 312D of polarizing pads 337 provided on the back of the lightning arrestor cassettes 330. (see FIGS. 31 and 34), when the lightning arrestor cassettes 330 are plugged into the housing 320 of the modular block 310. In this way, the installer or the user is ensured to insert in the modular block 310 the type or rating In addition, the front casing portion 312 has upper and lower walls 312B which extend rearward perpendicularly to the front wall 312A. The upper and lower walls 312B of this housing front portion 312 are provided, near their free edge, with ratchet edges 312E and an interlocking groove 312E adapted to cooperate with the ratchet teeth 311E and the nesting groove 311E of the upper and lower walls 311B of the housing front portion 312 for assembling said front and rear housing portions 312, 311 of the modular block 310 (see FIGS. 4 and 3031234 14 18). As best shown in Figures 30, 31, 33, 34, each lightning cassette 330 includes a housing 331 which houses a varistor 333 (overvoltage limiting device) and a thermal disconnection device 335, 700.

The housing 331 of each lightning cassette 330, of generally parallelepipedal shape, has two parallel main lateral faces, a rear face, a front face and two opposite transverse upper and lower faces. The front face has in its central zone a projecting front portion which carries an operating lever 332. The front part comprises a front face and two opposite transverse faces, one upper and the other lower, which is extend at right angles to the front face of the housing 331. The operating lever 332 has two branches extending from a median area of the facade portion along both sides of the front face of the facade portion. The operating lever 332 also comprises a gripping part which extends perpendicularly to the two branches, against the upper transverse face of the front portion of the housing 331. The operating lever 332 is incorporated here in the profile of the face before and the upper transverse face of the front portion of the housing 331 of the lightning arrester cassette 330.

As shown more particularly in FIG. 1, when the three lightning arrester cassettes 330 are mounted in the receiving housing 320 of the modular block 310, the front portion carrying the operating lever 332 of each lightning arrester cassette 330 is aligned with the front panel 312 'A of the front panel 312 of the modular block 310 so that these aligned front parts are intended to emerge from a front panel (not shown), through a window of this front plate, when a modular block 310 is in place on the rail in a cabinet or electrical cabinet. As shown in FIGS. 3, 30, 31, 33 and 34, the varistor 333 of each lightning arrester cassette 330 is in the form of a block of metal oxides such as zinc oxides. This block comprises 333D mounting and wedging tabs 331D in the interior of the casing 331 of the cassette. Block 333 also includes lugs 333A, 333B of current-conducting material for connecting the varistor to the power grid. One of these conductive tabs 333A is in contact with a conductive plate 800 which exits the bottom wall 331C of the casing 331 of the cassette to form the pin 801 which establishes the electrical connection with one of the phase electric wires F1. , F2, F3 of the modular block 310. The other of these tabs 333B is clamped in a clamp which keeps it in contact with a conductive blade 5 which leaves the upper wall of the casing 331 of the cassette to form the pin 802 which establishes the electrical connection with a conductive pad 500 electrically connected to the neutral wire FN of the modular block 310. Each varistor 333 has an extremely non-linear voltage / current characteristic. Beyond a certain voltage threshold across the varistor 333, the impedance of the varistor 333 drops to allow the evacuation of the current creating the overvoltage. When the voltage returns to an acceptable normal level, the impedance of the varistor 333 returns to its idle state. For large deviated current amplitudes, the voltage across the varistor increases. The life of the varistor 333 is limited, depending on the stresses, the properties of the ceramic blocks degrade, the leakage current of the varistor in the standby state increases, and the thermal resistance of the varistor decreases. For this reason, a thermal disconnection device 335, 700 is provided in each lightning arrester cassette 330 which, in the event of exceeding the thermal capacity of the varistor 333, disconnects the varistor 333 from the electrical network to which it is connected. the protection device 300 to avoid the damage related to this thermal overflow. As shown in FIGS. 30, 31, 33 and 34, each thermal disconnect device comprises a fusible link 335 (in the form of a fusible wafer bracket) which holds an insulating slider 25 in a connection (see Figures 30 and 31) against a tension spring (not visible in the figures). The slide 700 is slidably mounted on a slide 336 and the tension spring is stretched between the slider 700 and a fixed part of the casing 331 of the arrester cassette 330 so that it tends to slide the slider 700 from its connection position. 30 to a disconnection position (see FIGS. 33 and 34) in which an insulating wall 710 of the slider 700 is interposed between the conductive tabs 333A of the associated varistor 333 and the conductive strip 800 for connection to the live electrical wire, to open the electrical circuit and disconnect the varistor 333 of the electrical circuit to which it is connected. The fuse link 335 is placed in contact with a conductive tab 333C issuing from the varistor 333 so that when the varistor 333 ages and exceeds its thermal capacity, the heat transmitted by conduction by the conductive tongue 333C to the fuse link 335 causes it to melt and release the slider 700 which is pulled by the pulling spring towards its disconnected position. The modular block 310 of the protection device 300 and the circuit breaker 200 are placed side by side and assembled by one of their lateral main faces. For their assembly, the modular block 310 houses two hooks 340 which emerge out of the modular block 310 through the upper and lower parts of the main lateral face 313 concerned (FIGS. 4 and 5), and is provided in correspondence of the windows ( visible for example in Figures 46 and 49) in the relevant lateral main face of the circuit breaker 200. As shown more particularly in Figures 46, 48, 49, 51, 52, 54, 58 to 63, the hooks 340 are actuated by latches 341 upper and lower 15 which allow to lock the hooks 340 attached to the circuit breaker 200. Each latch 341 comprises a stroller-zipper 341A mounted to translate inside the modular block 310 through an opening 312'B provided in the Front portion of housing 312. The hooks 340 are here connected to a side 20 of strollers 341A. Each hook 340 and each 341A stroller-zipper associated are derived from the same integrally molded piece rigid plastic material. As shown more particularly in Figure 18, there is provided in the front portion of housing 312, on the one hand, at the junction of the upper walls 312B and 25 before 312A, an opening 312'B for mounting the stroller-zipper the upper latch 341, and on the other hand, at the junction of the bottom walls 312B and before 312A, an opening 312'B for mounting the stroller-zipper 341A of the lower latch 341 (see Figure 48 for example). Each pull-stroller 341A is adapted to be translationally moved from outside the modular block 310 between an unlocked position in which a portion of said pull-stroller 341A emerges outside the modular block 310 (see FIG. 48) and a locked position wherein said pull-stroller 341A is fully engaged within the modular block 310 (see Figures 51 and 59).

As shown in FIG. 46, the unlocked position of the pushchair 341A corresponds to a rest position of said hook 340 (actuated by the pushchair) in which it is placed inside the modular block 310, in removing the lateral main face 313 through which the modular block 310 is attached to the circuit breaker housing. As shown in FIG. 51, the locked position of the pull-stroller 341A corresponds to a hooking position of said hook 340 in which it emerges from the modular block 310 projecting from said lateral main face 313 of the modular block 310 for s' hang in the corresponding window of the circuit breaker box. According to the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 54, each pull-stretcher 341A is movable in an oblique direction Z (see FIGS. 48, 51 and 54) with respect to the lateral main face 313 of the modular block 310 by which the apparatus 300 is attached to the circuit breaker 200.

According to the example shown in FIGS. 58 to 63, the zipper stroller 341A of the lower latch 341 is movable in a direction parallel to the lateral main face 313 of the modular block through which the protection device is attached to the circuit breaker (see FIG. for example Figures 59 and 63) while the stroller-zipper upper lock is movable in an oblique direction 20 relative to the main side side of the modular block by which the protective device is attached to the circuit breaker. According to the example shown in the figures, each push-pull 341A projecting a rib 341B extending in said direction of displacement (oblique or straight) slidably engaged in an oblique or straight groove (not visible in the figures) provided in an inner face of the front wall 312A of the modular block 310. To pass each pushchair 341A from its unlocked position to its locked position, simply push on the part of the stroller-puller 341A emerging outside of the modular block 310 to slide the rib 341B of the stroller 341A into the corresponding groove of the modular block until the stroller 341A is fully engaged within it. To pass each stroller 341A from its locked position to its unlocked position, simply enter the tip of a tool in the slot provided for this purpose at the end of said stroller 341A and pull on this latter to the outside of the modular block 310 to slide the rib 341 B of the stroller 341A in the corresponding groove of the modular block over the determined cooperation length in order to extract the hook from the window of the circuit breaker and to enter it inside the modular block. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the protection device 300 comprises, outside the modular block 310, a wire-cover 400 of electrically insulating material which encloses the electric wires Fi, F2, F3 , FN coming out of the modular block 310 passing, in the lower part, the main side face 311B, 313 of the modular block 310 by which said modular block 310 is assembled to the circuit breaker 200, to connect electrically to the terminals of output of circuit breaker 200. This wire cover 400 comprises a base 410 closed by a cover 420 (see Figures 6 and 9). It is attached to the underside of the circuit breaker 200 so that the outer face of its cap 420 is pressed against the underside of the circuit breaker 200 and the external face of its base 410 extends in the extension of the lower face of the block. As a result, the electrical assembly 1 consisting of the circuit breaker 200 and the protection device 300 provided with the wire cover 400 forms a unitary unit block 20 that is generally rectangular in parallelepipedal configuration (see FIG. 1). and 2). The free ends El, E2, E3, EN of said electrical wires Fi, F2, F3, FN leave the wire-cover 400 through openings 421 of the cover 420 to be connected to the output terminals of the circuit-breaker 200 (see FIG. Figures 4 and 5). Advantageously, the base 410 is disjoint from the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300 (as shown more particularly in FIG. 5, there is a gap E between the base 410 and the modular block 310) and is provided with on the one hand, holding means 412A, 412B, 412C, 412D, 414A, 414B, 414C, 414D cooperating with said electric wires Fi, F2, F3, FN to hold each electric wire Fi, F2, F3, FN in a position and mounting means 415, 415A, 417, 417A, 418, 418A for fixing said base 410 to the circuit breaker 200 (see FIGS. 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14). Said holding means 412A, 412B, 412C, 412D, 414A, 414B, 414C, 414D of the base 410 are arranged to hold the free ends El, E2, E3, EN of the electric wires Fi, F2, F3, FN on a line A in positions 3031234 19 regularly spaced (see Figure 4). The base 410 thus advantageously makes it possible to reduce as far as possible the length of the electric wires F1, F2, F3, FN between the varistors 333 of the protection device 300 and the terminals L1, L2, L3, LN of the circuit breaker 200, which allows 5 to avoid the occurrence of residual surges and to comply with the provisions of the French standard NF 15/100. The base 410 also ensures the maintenance of electrical son F1, F2, F3, FN in specific positions determined, allowing the use of flexible son rather than rigid, less expensive. As shown more particularly in FIGS. 6 to 14, the base 410 10 is a molded piece made of a rigid plastic material, which comprises a base plate 411, here with a rectangular contour, and walls 412, 413, 414 which rise perpendicularly to the base plate 410, from the inner face 411A thereof. Three of these walls 412, said side walls and front wall, border the base plate 411 on three contiguous sides to form with the base plate 410, a rectangular parallelepiped box, open on one side. Another wall 413, called the rear wall, runs along the fourth side of the base plate 410 while being placed at a distance from the edge of the plate. The other walls 414, said internal walls, are placed inside the space delimited by the side walls 412, the front wall 412 and the rear wall 413 of the base 410. One of the side walls 412 (the one placed opposite of the main lateral face 313 of the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300) and the inner walls 414 comprise notches 412A, 412B, 412C, 412D, 414A, 414B, 414D with rounded bottoms which house said electrical wires F1, F2 , F3, FN so that they form said holding means. As best shown in FIG. 12, the electrical wires F1, F2, F3, FN coming out of the modular block 310, enter the base 410 through the notches 412A, 412B, 412C, 412D of the corresponding lateral wall 412 of the base 410. then they follow in the base 410 a path determined in particular by the notches 414A, 414B, 414D of the internal walls 414. The neutral electric wire FN follows the longest path determined by the notches 414D, then in descending order, the wire Phase F1 electric follows the path determined by the notches 414A and phase electric wire F2 follows the path determined by the notches 414B. The phase electric wire F3 follows the shortest path determined by an inner wall 414C bent against which rests 3031234 20 said electric wire F3. As best shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the cover 420 is a molded piece made of a rigid plastic material, which is in the form of a rectangular closure plate whose dimensions correspond to the clearance of the space dimensions. internal wall defined by the internal faces of the side walls 412, before 412 and rear 413 of the base 410. As shown in Figures 6, 8 and 9, this closure plate 420 is positioned between the side walls 412, before 412 and rear 413 of the base 410 above the inner walls 414 of said base 410 so that it closes the outlet of the notches 412A, 412B, 412C, 412D of the walls of the base 410 to block the electrical son Fi, F2, F3, FN in the notches . This closure plate 420 has aligned through holes 421 (see FIGS. 4 and 15), here of oblong shape, through which the free ends El, E2, E3, EN of said electric wires Fi, F2, F3, FN come out of the wire cover 400 to be connected to the output terminals of circuit breaker 200 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The closure plate 420 also carries, on its inner face 420A turned towards the base 410, means for holding said electrical son Fi, F2, F3, FN. These holding means comprise walls 424, 424A, 424B, 424D which extend from the inner face 420A of the closure plate 420 of said hood, perpendicularly thereto. The wall 424 of the cover closes the corresponding opening of the side wall 412 of the base 410 just above the outlet of said notches 412A, 412B, 412C (see FIGS. 8 and 14). The other walls 424A, 424B, 424D of the cover guide and hold the electrical son Fi, F2, F3, FN at the bottom of the corresponding notches 25 of the base 410. The cover 420 and the base 410 comprise latching means adapted to cooperate together for assembling the hood with the base. These latching means comprise teeth 412E provided projecting on the inner face of the side and front walls 412 of the base 410 which cling to the edge 422A of flanges 422 provided on the edge of the closing plate 420 of the cover ( see Figures 12 to 15). The base plate 411 of the base 410 has, at the right of the teeth 412E, openings 419 (see FIG. 8) through which the tip of a tool accesses from the outside of the wire cover 400 to said ratchet teeth 412E. to disassemble the base 410 and the cover 420. The locking means 3031234 21 also comprise on the cover 420 ratchet teeth 423A carried by tabs 423 provided on an edge of the closure plate 420 and on the base 410 of the windows 413A provided in correspondence in the rear wall 413 of the base (see Figures 10 and 14). Finally, there is provided on the hood 420 420 amounts 426 which rise from the inner face 420A of the closing plate 420, perpendicular thereto. These amounts 426 are distributed along the edge of the closure plate 420 and are oriented so that one of their edge extends to the right of the edge of the closure plate. These uprights 426 bear against the internal face of the walls of the base 410 when the cover 420 10 is snapped onto the base 410 to reinforce the holding in position of the cover 420 on the base 410. The wire cover 400 (base 410 closed by the cover 420) clings to the circuit breaker 200 via said mounting means of the base 410. These mounting means of the base 410 are latching means.

More particularly, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, said mounting means comprise posts 415, 417 which comprise at their free ends ratchet teeth 415A, 417A. The amounts 415, 417 rise from the inner face 411A of the base plate 411 of the base, perpendicularly thereto. A pair of inner posts 415 are located in the inner space delimited between the side walls 412, front 412 and rear 213 of the base 410 and closed by the closure plate 420. Two other pairs of outer posts 417 are located on one edge. the base 410 at the back of the rear wall 413 of the base 410, outside the internal space delimited between the side walls 412, before 412 and rear 213 of the base 410 and closed by the closure plate 420. Each pair external studs 417 form a fork with two parallel branches whose two outer sides carry the ratchet teeth 417A oriented in opposite directions. These forks are intended to fit into grooves provided on the rear face of the circuit breaker box 200 and to hook on the edge of notches provided on the walls opposite said grooves. The hooking and unhooking of each fork is effected by mutual reconciliation of the branches 417 which bend slightly elastically. As shown in FIG. 4, the closure plate 420 forming the cover has additional orifices 425 which pass through the internal uprights 415 of the base 410 so that their free ends 3031234 22 provided with the ratchet teeth 415A emerge on the outside of the base. the wire cover 400 and can hook on the edge of corresponding openings in the lower face of the circuit breaker 200 housing. At the foot of the internal uprights 415, the base plate 411 of the base 410 is pierced with openings 419 through which the tip of a tool accesses the ratchet teeth 415A of the internal uprights 415A to disassemble the base 410 and thus the wire cover 400 of the circuit breaker 200. Finally, as best shown in FIGS. and 14, two flexible tongues 411L are cut into the base plate 411 of the base 410 of the wire cover 400. Each of the tongues 411L has a free end, located on an edge of said base plate 411, secured to a pull tab 416 extending perpendicular to said tongue 411 L on either side thereof (in the direction perpendicular to the base plate). Each pull tab 416 is provided with a gripping aperture 416A located in a portion of the pull tab 416 extending on the side of the outer face of said base plate 411 and being secured to a hook 418A which extends a portion 418 of the pull tab 416 located on the side of the inner face 411A of said base plate 411. Each hook 418A is intended to hook, at the rear of the circuit breaker 200, a mounting tab of the circuit breaker 200 and with the drawbars 416 of the 20 400, it is possible to pull on these circuit breaker mounting tabs to disengage them from the mounting rail on which the circuit breaker 200 is mounted. In the electrical assembly 1 shown in the various figures, it is advantageously provided a modular interface 100 which provides the mechanical and electrical connection in series of the circuit breaker 200 and the protective device 25 300 against temporary overvoltages. This modular interface 100 is here an integral part of the protection device 300 in that its mechanism, which will be described below, is fully housed in the housing (modular block 310) of the protection device 300, but in an alternative embodiment not shown, it can be provided that the modular interface has its own housing interposed between the circuit breaker housing and that of the protection device. This modular interface 100 comprises the hooks 340 actuated by the locks 341 (previously described) for the assembly of the modular block 310 of the protection device 300 and the case of the circuit breaker 200.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 18, 23 to 29, the modular interface 100 also comprises: an electrical switch 110 connected by electrical wires 111, 112, 113 to a connector 120 capable of transmitting a signal representative of the operating state of the circuit breaker 200 and / or the protection device 300; a first mechanical safety element 130 intended to be connected to the opening / closing levers (constituting with the lever 230 an opening and closing device) of the circuit breaker 200, movable between an armed position (FIGS. 26 and 27) corresponding in the engaged state of the opening device 10 and closing the circuit breaker 200 and a triggered position (FIGS. 28 and 29) corresponding to the tripped state of the opening and closing device of the circuit breaker 200, the first mechanical element of security 130 being able in this triggered position to actuate the electric switch 110 to transmit a signal representative of the tripped state of the circuit breaker 200; and a second mechanical safety element 140 separate from the first mechanical safety element 130 and operating independently of the latter, intended to be connected to the protection device 300 and movable between a rest position (see FIGS. 26 and 29) corresponding in the normal operating state of the protection device 300 and a triggered position (FIGS. 27 and 28) corresponding to the faulting of a varistor 333 (overvoltage limiting device) of said protection device 300, the second mechanical safety element 140 being adapted in this triggered position to actuate the electric switch 110, without affecting the position of said first mechanical safety element 130, to transmit a signal representative of a malfunction of the apparatus of protection 300, being placed on the path (FIG. 28) traversed by the first mechanical safety element 130 since its triggered position (FIG. 28) towards its armed position (FIG. 27) so that, in this triggered position (FIG. 28), said second mechanical safety element 140 forms a stop 143 for the first mechanical safety element 130 prohibiting the the latter to reach its armed position from its triggered position. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 20, the connector 120 is attached to the rear face of the rear housing portion 311 of the modular block 310 of the protection device 300, in a housing 311F provided with recess 3031234 24 this rear face . In the mounted position on the modular block 310, the connector 120 is accessible from above the modular block 310 to be connected to a signaling interface (not shown) displaying the information transmitted by said connector.

The first and second mechanical safety elements 130, 140 are rotatably mounted respectively about two shafts A1, A2 of parallel axes X1, X2 (see FIG. 23) fixed in the housing 310 of the protection device 300. According to the preferred example shown in FIGS. 23 to 29, each of the first and second mechanical safety elements 130, 140 is capable, independently of one another, of pivoting a rocker 150 causing the closure of the electrical switch 110. This flip-flop 150 is a unitary part made of insulating material. It comprises: a central portion 151 mounted to rotate freely around a fixed shaft A3 X3 axis parallel to the axes X1, X2 of rotation of the first and second mechanical security elements 130, 140, and provided with a finger 152 of said electrical switch 110, and two branches 153, 154 which extend from the central portion 151, substantially opposite each other, one of the branches having a surface of support 153A turned towards the first mechanical safety element 130 and the other branch 154 having a bearing surface 154A turned towards the second mechanical safety element 140, said first and second mechanical safety elements 130 respectively bearing on the surfaces support 153A, 154A branches 153, 154 of the flip-flop 150 to rotate it to the electrical switch 110 (see Figures 29 and 27). The first mechanical safety element 130 comprises a unitary piece of insulating material which forms a plate 131, one side of which supports a bearing 132 for receiving the shaft A1 of axis X1.

There is provided a pin 133 which protrudes on the other opposite face of said plate 131. This pin 133 is a connecting pin to the opening and closing device (levers attached to the lever 230) of the circuit breaker 200. Mechanical connection between the pin 133 and the circuit breaker 200 is effected through an opening 313A (bean-shaped) of the lateral main face 313 of the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300 which establishes the connection with the circuit breaker 200 (see FIGS. 4, 5, 12 and 17). The pin 133 is adapted to be moved into said opening 313A between a lowered position and a raised position so that the lowered position of said pin 133 corresponds to the tripped state of the circuit breaker 200 while the raised position of said pin 133 corresponds to the switched state of the circuit breaker 200. As will be described in more detail at the end of the description, according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 58, the pin 133 is advantageously displaceable in translation through said plate 131, along an axis X perpendicular to the main lateral face 313 of the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300 which establishes the junction with the circuit breaker 200, between a retracted position in which said pin 133 is placed inside the modular block 310 recessed from said lateral main face 313 (see FIG. 46) and an extended position in which said pin 133 passes through the plate 131 and said o opening 313A provided in said lateral main face 313 to extend outside said modular block 310 projecting from said lateral main face 313 (see Figure 51). According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 59 to 63, the pin 133 comes into formation with the plate 131 or is fixedly attached thereto. The plate 131 includes an actuating finger 134 for controlling the electric switch 110 and is extended by an arm 135 which extends on the same side as the actuating finger 134 and which has at its free end 25 a return 136 able to abut against said stop 143 of the second mechanical safety element 140 placed in the tripped position (see Figure 28). The second mechanical safety element 140 is a unitary piece of insulating material which comprises an arm 141 which is provided with an actuating finger 142 for controlling the electric switch 110 and which has, on the one hand, a free end 143 forming said abutment for said first mechanical safety element 130, and, on the other hand, opposite said free end 143, an end 144 mounted to freely rotate on the shaft A2 X2 axis which s extends in the rear housing part 311 of the modular protection device block 310, this end 144 being connected to a lever 145 threaded onto the shaft A2 and adapted to be pivoted about this shaft A2 by at least one actuator 160 whose action is released when a varistor 333 (overvoltage limitation device) of said protection device 300 is defective. As best shown in FIG. 23, the arm 141 of the second mechanical element 5 140 is formed by the lever 145 to form a one-piece piece generally L-shaped. The lever 145 comprises a body formed by a succession of tubular portions 146 of X2 axis in which is threaded the A2 shaft. The lever 145 and the arm 141 are mounted in interior arrangements 317, 318 of the housing rear portion 311 of the modular block 310 (see FIGS. 19 and 21). These interior arrangements comprise tabs 317 with notches 317A with a rounded bottom in which the shaft A2 is fitted and a set of walls 318 wedging said lever 145 so that the arm 141 is placed adequately with respect to the main lateral face 311. D of the modular block 310 and the other elements (in particular the first mechanical safety element 130) of the modular interface 100. There is provided an elastic return means which tends to position the second mechanical safety element 140 in its rest position . The elastic return means here is a wire spring 148 wound around the body 146 of said second mechanical safety element 140, one end of the wire spring 148 being attached to said body 146 and another end of the wire spring 148 being locked against a fixed part of the modular interface, here against the inner face of the upper wall 311 B of the rear housing portion 311 (see Figures 21 to 25). As shown in FIGS. 21 to 25, according to the embodiment shown, three actuators 160 are provided distributed along the body 146 of the lever 145 of the second mechanical safety element 140, each actuator 160 comprises a rear portion 165 ( see FIGS. 32 and 35) which is engaged in a free space 147 provided between two tubular parts of the body 146. Each actuator 160 is associated with a varistor 333 of a lightning arrester cassette 330 of the protection device 300. More generally, there are provided as many actuators 160 as varistors 333 of the protection device 300. Each actuator 160 is, on the one hand, connected to the rear housing portion 311 of the modular block 330 by an elastic return means 170 which tends to position said actuator 160 in a release position where it places said lever 145 in a release position corresponding to the triggered position of the arm 141 of said second the mechanical security element 140, and, secondly, maintained by an element 600 of the lightning arrester cassette 330 connected to the fuse link 335, in a connection position in which said elastic return means 170 is under stress. More particularly, as is best seen in FIGS. 30 to 35, each actuator 160 includes a platen, a rear face 161 of which is recessed to conform to the cylindrical outer surface of a tubular portion of the body 146 of the lever 145. In this way, each actuator 160 is pivotally mounted about the shaft A2. A rounded upper edge 162 of the plate of each actuator 160 bears against the lever 145 connected to the arm 141 of the second safety element 140. The rear portion 165 of the actuator 160 extends from the rear face 161 of the plate between two tubular portions 146 of the body of the lever 145 towards the bottom of the rear housing portion 311 of the modular block 310. This rear portion 165 comprises an orifice 166 in which is attached the end 171 of a coil spring of traction 170 whose other end is attached to a stud 316 carried by the bottom 311A of the rear housing portion 311 (see Figures 21 and 22). In addition, the front face 163 of the plate of each actuator 160 carries a stud 164 projecting. This stud 164 passes through a window 331E of the rear wall of the casing 331 of the associated arrester cassette 330 so that its free end bears against a rear face 602 of an inner element 600 of said arrester cassette 300. 31 and 34, this inner member 600 is an elongated bar along the block of the varistor 333 of the lightning arrester cassette 330. This bar 600 comprises a longitudinal groove 603 slidably mounted on an internal rib 331 B of the casing 331 of the cassette 330. In contrast to its rear face 602, the bar 600 comprises a front face 601 bearing against a face 701 of the slider 700 (of the thermal disconnection device of the lightning arrester cassette 330) held in the connection position by means of 335. In this connection position shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the bar 600 bears against the slider 700 held by the link f 335, maintains, via the pad 164, the plate of the actuator 160 downwardly in said connecting position in which the coil spring 170 3031234 28 is stretched and the lever 145 and the arm 141 of the second element safety mechanism 140 are placed in the rest position. By cons, as shown in Figures 34 and 35, when the slider 700 takes its disconnected position, because of the melting of the fuse link 335 caused by exceeding the thermal capacity of the varistor 333 of the cassette surge arrester 330 it releases the support of the front face 601 of the bar 600. The bar 600 can then slide freely on the internal rib 331 B and no longer opposes any resistance to the pin 164 of the actuator 160 which is pulled by the spring helical pull 170 returning to its original compressed state. The helical coil spring 170 10 then causes the upward tilting of the actuator 160 which, by pressing the rounded upper edge 162 of its plate, causes the lever 145 and the arm 141 of the second mechanical safety element 140 to pivot. the rest position (lowered) towards the triggered (raised) position in which, on the one hand, the actuating finger 142 of the arm 141 actuates via the flip-flop 150 the electrical switch 110 connected to the connector 120, and, on the other hand, the stop 143 of the arm 141 of the second mechanical safety element 140 is placed on the path of the first mechanical safety element 130 taken between its triggered and armed positions. Referring to Figures 26 to 29, we will summarize below the operation of the modular interface 100. As shown in Figure 26, in normal operation of the electrical assembly 1 connected to the local electrical installation ( 200 circuit breaker engaged and varistors 333 of the protection device 300 connected to the electrical network), the plate 131 of the first mechanical safety element 130 25 is raised in the armed position in which its actuating finger 134 is out of contact with the surface of the support 153A of the rocker 150 and the arm 141 of the second mechanical safety element 140 is lowered to the rest position in which the actuating finger 142 of the arm 141 remains in contact with the bearing surface 154A of the rocker 150 of which the control finger 152 is in contact with the push-button of the electric switch 110. When one of the varistors 333 of the protection device 300 exceeds its thermal capacity. that due to its aging, it causes the fusing of the fuse link 335 of the associated lightning arrester cassette 330, which causes the actuation of a signaling means (not shown in the figures) 3031234 29 defaults on the front side of the surge arrester cassette, and the tilting of the associated actuator 160 from its lowered connection position to its relieved release position. In its tilting, the actuator 160 drives the lever 145 and the arm 141 of the second mechanical safety element 140 which pivot about the shaft A2 from the rest position lowered to the raised triggered position in which the actuating finger 142 arm 141 pushes on the bearing surface 154A to tilt the rocker 150 about its shaft A3 towards the electrical switch 110 so that the control finger 152 of the rocker 150 pushes a push button of the electrical switch 110 (see FIG. 27). In this way, the actuating finger 142 of the arm 141 of the second mechanical safety element 140 actuates the electrical switch 110 of the connector 120 which transmits the fault information of the protection device 300 to a processing device and display not shown. As shown in FIG. 27, in the triggered position of the second mechanical safety element 140, the stop 143 provided at the free end of the arm 141 is raised and positioned in the path of the first mechanical safety element 130 taken between its positions. triggered and armed. In doing so, as shown in FIG. 27, said first mechanical safety element 130 has not moved and remained in the armed position since the circuit breaker 200 has remained latched (closed electrical circuit). As shown in FIG. 28, in order to be able to replace the defective arrester cassette 330 of the protection device 300 in good safety conditions, the user isolates the electrical assembly 1 from the electrical circuit by opening said electrical circuit by tripping the circuit breaker 200 (which conventionally amounts to lowering the handle 230 and the levers attached). The lowering of the levers by the actuation of the lever 230 causes, via the pin 133, the tilting down of the first mechanical safety element 130 around the shaft A1 from its armed position to its tripped position and the finger Actuation 134 of platen 131 presses on surface 153A of flip-flop 150 to tilt it around shaft A3 towards electrical switch 110. Control finger 152 of flip-flop 150 then depresses the button push-button of the electric switch 110 (see Figure 28). In this way, the actuating finger 134 of the platen 131 of the first mechanical safety element 130 actuates the electrical switch 110 of the connector 120 which transmits the opening or tripping information of the circuit breaker 200 to a device of FIG. processing and display not shown. It will be noted in FIG. 28 that the second mechanical safety element 140 placed in the tripped position prevents the closing or re-engagement of the circuit breaker 200 because the free end 143 of the arm 141 of the second mechanical safety element 140 is positioned facing the return 136 of the arm 135 of the first mechanical safety element 130. If the user then tries to raise the lever 230 of the circuit breaker 200 to close the electrical circuit, the return 136 of the first mechanical safety element 130 rotated 10 about its shaft A1 by the levers via the pin 133, from its triggered position to its armed position, abuts against said free end 143 of the arm 141 (forming a stop). The abutment of the return 136 of the first mechanical safety element 130 against the free end 143 of the arm 141 of the second mechanical safety element 140 prevents the first mechanical security element 130 from reaching its armed position, which prevents the closing the electrical circuit of the circuit breaker 200. Thus, before switching on the circuit breaker 200, the user replaces the defective arrester cassette 330 in the protection device 300. The bar 600 of the new arrester cassette 330 lowers, via the counter 164, the corresponding actuator 160 in the connecting position by tensioning the coil spring 170. The actuator 160 returned to the connecting position releases the lever 145 and the arm 141 of the second mechanical safety element 140 which, under the action of spring wire 148, rocking from its triggered position to its rest position where it deviates from the rocker 150 and the first mechanical safety element 13 0 (see Figure 29). In this rest position, the second mechanical safety element 140 is spaced from the path traveled by the first mechanical safety element 130 between its triggered position and its armed position. The user can then reset the levers of the circuit breaker 200 by actuating the handle 230 to close the electrical circuit since the first mechanical safety element 130 can freely pivot or tilt around the shaft Al from its triggered position to its armed position. being driven by the levers of the circuit breaker 200 via the link pin 133. The flip-flop 150 which is no longer pushed towards the electrical switch 110, neither by the first nor by the second mechanical safety element, releases the pressure on the push-button of the electric switch 110. this push button then returns to its original stable position under the action of an elastic return means and pushes the lever 150 which pivots about the shaft A3 to its original position shown in FIG. 26.

Advantageously, it is noted that the movement and action of the second mechanical safety element 140 are distinct and independent of the movement and action of the first mechanical safety element 130. Each mechanical safety element 130, 140 acts independently of one another. on the other hand on the electric switch 110 so that the connector 120 transmits information relating to the operation of the circuit breaker 200 and the protection device 300, but the action of the second mechanical safety element 140 has no influence on the circuit breaker 200 in the sense that it does not automatically cause the opening or closing of the circuit breaker 200. The first and second mechanical safety elements 130, 140 have as their essential function a function of transfer of the state of operation (normal or faulty) of the electrical assembly 1 (constituting a self-protected arrester assembly). According to a preferred characteristic of the protection device 300 shown in the various figures, the front housing portion 312 of the modular block 310 houses a shaft 190; 190 ', the so-called "cassette locking shaft" provided with at least one element of locking 191; 191 ', this shaft 190; 190' being movably mounted in the modular block 310 such that its displacement is related to the movement of the opening and closing device 230 of the circuit breaker 200, said cassette locking shaft 190; 190 'being able to take two distinct positions, namely, on the one hand, a first position called "safety position" corresponding to the engaged state of the circuit breaker, in which each locking element 191; 191' cooperates with a supplementary part 334; 334 'of a lightning arrester cassette 330 so as to prohibit the removal and / or insertion of said lightning arrester cassette 330, and, secondly, a second position called "access position" corresponding to the triggered state of the circuit breaker, in which each locking element 191; 191 'leaves said complementary portion 334; 334' of the lightning arrester cassette 330 free so as to allow the withdrawal and / or the insertion of said lightning arrester cassette 330. Advantageously, provision is made for an elastic return means 193; 193 ', which tends to place the cassette lock shaft 190; 190' in the safety position. As shown in FIGS. 36 to 45, the cassette locking shaft 190; 190 'comprises as many locking elements 191; 191' as there are 5 lightning arrester cassettes 330 accommodated in said housing 320. Here, the cassette locking shaft 190; 190 'comprises three locking elements 191; 191' each associated with a lightning arrester cassette 330. According to a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 36 to 41, the cassette locking shaft 190 has an end 192 which cooperates with a transmission element 180 which is pivotally connected to the first mechanical safety element 130 of the modular interface 100 and which is mounted for free rotation about an axis shaft A4 parallel to the axis X1 of rotation of said first mechanical security element 130. The cassette locking shaft 190 carries at least one stud 191 (it has as many studs as there are lightning arrester cassettes in the protection apparatus), here it comprises three pads 191, and it is intended to take two distinct angular positions, namely: - a first position called "safety position" (see Figures 36 to 38) corresponding to the armed position of said first mechanical safety element 130 (see figure 38); and a second position called "access position" (see Figures 39 to 41) corresponding to the triggered position of said first mechanical safety element 130 (see Figure 41). More particularly, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 22, the cassette lock shaft 190 is placed under the bottom wall 315 which defines the housing 320 for receiving the lightning arrester cassettes 330 of the front housing portion 312 of the modular block 310. This shaft 190 is pivotally mounted in notches with a rounded bottom of interior arrangements 319B (forming pivot bearings) of a lower housing front portion 319. The shaft 190 is held in these bearings 319B by means of brackets. holding 319A from this lower housing portion 319B. As best shown in FIG. 18, there is provided in said bottom wall 315 of the front housing portion 312 of the modular block 310, at the bottom of each of the mounting grooves 315A of the lightning arrester cassettes 330, a 315B window 315B located at the right each stud 191 carried by the cassette locking shaft 190. As shown in FIGS. 38 and 41, the transmission element 180 is in the form of a butterfly with a cylindrical central body which bears on its external face. two wings 181, 182 extending generally in opposite directions. The cylindrical central body is pierced axially and threaded onto the shaft A4 fixed to the housing of the modular block 310 (see FIG. 23). One of the wings 181 of the transmission member 180 is in permanent support against a wall 137 carried by the inner face of the plate 131 of the first mechanical security element 130, internal face which also supports the landing 132 of the Al shaft. The other flange 182 of the transmission member 180 is in permanent abutment against said end 192 of the cassette locking shaft 190. This end 192 is in the form of a wafer extending transversely of the cassette. longitudinal axis of the shaft 190.

In this way, when the first mechanical safety element 130 is pivoted about its shaft A1 by the circuit breaker levers 200 actuated by the lever 230, between the armed position and the tripped position, it carries with it the shaft. cassette lock 190 which pivots between the security position and the access position.

On the other hand, the elastic return means, which tends to place the cassette lock shaft 190 in its safety position, is a wire spring 193 wound around the cassette lock shaft 190, one end of which is connected to said shaft and whose other end is locked against a fixed part (the lower housing part 319) of the modular block 310.

In the safety position, each stud 191 of the cassette lock shaft 190 protrudes through the window 315B into the mounting groove 315A of the corresponding arrester cassette 330 (see FIG. 18). In this position, each stud 191 is in abutment against the inclined face 334A of a stud 334 carried by the lower face 331C of the housing 331 of each cassette 30 surge arrester 330 engaged in each groove 315A of the modular block 310 (see FIGS. and 37). The pads 191 in the safety position thus prohibit the removal of the arrester cassettes 330 of the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300. In the access position, each stud 191 of the locking shaft 3031234 34 cassette 190 is located in removal of the outlet of said window 315B inside the housing of the modular block 310 so as to allow the withdrawal and / or racking of one or more lightning arrester cassette in the modular block 310 of the protection device 300 (see Figures 39 and 40).

According to a second embodiment shown in FIGS. 42 to 45, the cassette locking shaft 190 'is in the form of a slider mounted to move in translation in a translation direction T in the modular block. This strip is provided with at least one notch 191 '(here three notches 191') oriented in the direction of translation T of said strip so that, on the one hand, in said safety position each notch 191 'is engaged on a stud 334 'carried by the lower face 331C of the casing 331 of a lightning arrester cassette 330 to connect this lightning arrester cassette 330 to the cassette locking shaft 190' (see FIG. 42), and, secondly, in said access position each notch 191 'is remote from the stud 334' integral with the corresponding lightning arrester cassette 330 to release the lightning arrester cassette 330 from the cassette lock shaft 190 '(see FIG. 44). The strip 190 'comprises successively from the end located on the side of the circuit breaker 200, a first rectangular notch 191' and two L-shaped notches whose shorter length portions extend in the direction of translation T and constitute the said notches 191 'of engagement on the studs 334' of the arrester cassettes 330. According to this second embodiment, the elastic return means, which tends to place the cassette lock shaft 190 'in its safety position, 25 is a coil spring 193 'interposed between an end portion 192'A of the cassette lock shaft 190' and a fixed portion of the modular block 310. The cassette lock shaft 190 'is also placed under the bottom wall which defines the receiving housing of the arrester cassettes 330 of the front housing part of the modular block and the studs 334 'which protrude from the undersides 331C of the cassettes Thunders 330 pass through the windows provided at the bottom of the mounting grooves of the arrester cassettes 330 to cooperate with said slots 191 'of the cassette lock shaft 190'. In addition, according to this second embodiment, as shown more particularly in FIGS. 44 and 45, the first mechanical safety element 130 is adapted, when it moves from the armed position to the triggered position, to bear against a edge 192'B of one end 192 'of the cassette lock shaft 190' to push it into its access position against the biasing action of the compression coil spring 193 '. The cassette locking shaft 190; 190 'advantageously forces the user to open the electrical circuit to which the electrical assembly 1 is connected, by opening or tripping the circuit breaker 200, to intervene on one of the lightning arrester cassettes 330 of the appliance The protection apparatus 10 300 then advantageously provides secure access for the user. In normal operation of the electrical assembly 1, the protection device 300 is connected to the electrical network by the circuit breaker 200 which is switched on (the electrical circuit of which is closed) and the first mechanical safety element 130 of the modular interface 100 is placed in an armed position (see 15 figures 38 and 43). According to the first embodiment, the wire spring 193 holds the cassette locking shaft 190 in its safety position in which the studs 191 which it bears are in abutment against the inclined faces 334A of the studs 334 of the lightning arrestor cassettes 330 of FIG. protection device 300 so as to prevent the user from extracting one of said arrester cassettes 330 from the modular block 310 (FIGS. 36 and 37). According to the second embodiment, the coil spring 193 'pushes the cassette lock shaft 190' into its safety position in which the notches 191 'are engaged on the studs 334' of the lightning arrester cassettes 330 of the protection device. in such a way as to prevent the user from extracting one of said arrester cassettes 330 from the modular block (FIGS. 42 and 43). When the user must replace one of the arrester cassettes 330 which is malfunctioning because its varistor 333 has aged and exceeded its thermal capacity (the latter having disconnected from the electrical circuit via the disconnection device thermal), it opens the electrical circuit 30 of the circuit breaker 200 by lowering the handle 230 to operate the levers. This has the effect of tilting the plate 131 of the first mechanical safety element 130 around the shaft Al from its armed position to its tripped position. According to the first embodiment of the cassette locking shaft, this plate 131 drives in rotation, via the wall 137 which pushes the wing 181, the transmission element 180 whose wing 182 pushes the end 192 cassette lock shaft 190 to tilt said shaft 190 from its safety position to its access position against the action of the wire spring 193 which stretches. During the tilting of the cassette locking shaft 190 the pads 190 slide against the inclined faces 334A of the pads 334 carried by the lower faces 331C of the lightning arrestor cassettes 330 to be inserted inside the housing of the modular block 310, in below the lower wall 315 of the housing 320 in which are inserted the lightning arrestor cassettes 330. In the access position, the pads 191 are erased under the studs 334 of the cassettes 10 surge arresters 330 (FIGS. 39 and 40) and the user can remove the damaged 330 surge arrester cassette from the modular block of the protective device and insert a new one. According to the second embodiment of the cassette locking shaft, this plate 131 bears against the edge 192 'B of the end 192' of the cassette locking shaft 190 'to push it in translation along the direction T from its safety position to its access position against the action of the compressive coil spring 193 'which is compressed. During the translation of the cassette locking shaft 190 ', the notches 191' move in the translation direction T away from said pads 334 'of the lightning arrester cassettes 330. In the access position, as shown in FIG. 44, the notches 191 'are disengaged from the studs 334' of the arrester cassettes 330 and the user can extract the damaged arrester cassette 330 from the modular block of the protective apparatus and insert a new one. When all the surge arresters 330 of the protection device 300 are in operating condition, the user can again close the electrical circuit of the circuit breaker 200 by raising the lever 230 which actuates the levers, which has the effect of rotating the plate 131 of the first mechanical safety element 130 from its triggered position to its armed position. According to the first embodiment of the cassette locking shaft, said plate 131 then releases the pressure on the transmission member 180 and the wire spring 193 expands by returning the cassette locking shaft 190 to its safety position in which the studs 191 that it carries, emerge through said windows 315B above the bottom wall 315 of the housing 320 in which are inserted the lightning arrestor cassettes 330, to come into abutment against the inclined faces 334A of the studs 334 surge arresters 330 3031234 37 (Figures 36 and 37). The cassette locking shaft 190 provided with its pads 191 thus blocks the lightning arrester cassettes 330 in the modular block 310 of the protection device 300. According to the second embodiment of the cassette locking shaft, said plate 131 is erases the edge 192'B of the end 192 '5 of the cassette lock shaft 190' and thus releases its support thereon. The helical spring 193 'of compression expands by bringing the cassette locking shaft 190' to its safety position in which the notches 191 'that it comprises are engaged on the studs 334' of the arrester cassettes 330 (FIG. 42). The cassette locking shaft 190 'provided with its notches 191' 10 thus blocks the lightning arresters 330 in the modular block of the protection device. According to the embodiment more particularly shown in FIGS. 46 to 58, as has already been said above, the pin 133 which establishes the connection between, on the one hand, the first mechanical safety element 130 of the modular interface 100 of the protection device 300, and, secondly, the opening and closing device 230 of the circuit breaker 200, is advantageously mounted in axial translation through said plate 131. It is able to be moved along an axis X perpendicular to the main side face 313 of the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300 which establishes the junction with the circuit breaker 200, between a retracted position in which said pin 133 is placed inside the modular block 310 set back from said main lateral face 313 (see FIG. 46) and an extended position in which said pin 133 passes through the plate 131 (the pin 133 passes through a sleeve 131A carried by the plate e 131 to be properly held thereon) and said opening 313A provided in said side main face 313 to extend outside said modular block 310 projecting from said side main face 313 (see Figure 51). In this way, advantageously, the pin 133 being positioned in the retracted position and the latches 341, open in the unlocked position, placing the hooks 340 in the rest position, the main lateral face 313 of the protection device 300, against which must The circuit breaker 200 is no longer supported by the circuit breaker 200, and the installation of the circuit breaker 200 against the protection device 300 can easily be carried out by a simple vertical translational movement along this lateral main face 313. Once that the circuit breaker 200 in its triggered state (lever 230 3031234 38 lowered) is placed against the protection device 300, it suffices to push the strollers 341A inside the modular block 310 to hang the hooks 340 in the windows corresponding circuit breaker 200 to lock the securing of the latter to the protection device 300 and to actuate said pin 133 to its position s the nettle so that it emerges outside the modular block 300 through the opening 313A of said lateral main face 313 to engage, through the corresponding wall of the circuit breaker, with internal elements of the circuit breaker related to said auditory circuit breaker opening and closing device 230 of the latter (in the lowered position). The pin 133 is then placed in the lowered position in said opening 313A of said lateral main face 313 of the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300. Preferentially here, the lower latch 341 used to lock the tie-down of a modular apparatus to the other, forms a means of axial displacement of said pin 133 between its retracted position and output.

As shown in FIGS. 47, 48, 50, 51, 53 and 54, the modular block 310 of the protection apparatus 300 houses a fixed L-profile support 351 with a right-angle return 351A oriented perpendicular to the faces. main lateral 313 of said block. This fixed support 351 is integral with the side wall 350 which closes one side of the front portion 312'A of the front wall 312A of the modular block 310. More specifically, this side wall 350 carries said fixed support 351 projecting on its internal face turned towards the mechanism of the modular interface 100. In contrast, the outer face of this side wall 350 laterally delimits said housing 320 for receiving the lightning arrester cassettes 330. The pin 133 further comprises a base 133A which, in the retracted position of said pin 133 (see FIGS. 47 and 48), is placed against a face (the lower face) of the return 351A of said fixed support 351. This lower face of the return 351A of said fixed support 351 forms a guiding surface against which the base 133A of said pin 133 is adapted to slide during the axial displacement of said pin 133 between its retracted and extended positions. In addition, the modular block 310 houses a control portion 341C which has a groove 341 D extending in a direction parallel to said respective main lateral face 313 of the modular block 310. The base 133A of the pin 133 is provided with a tail 133B mounted in the groove 341D of 3031234 39 said control portion 314C. This mounting flange 133B preferably has a T-shape with, on the one hand, a foot extending from the base 133A of the pin 133 in a radial direction to traverse the groove 341 D of the control part. 341C, and, secondly, a head, perpendicular to the foot, which extends outside the groove 341 D therethrough to retain said mounting shank 133B in said groove 341D (see FIGS. 25, 41 and 47). This control portion 341C is here attached to the pull-stroller 341A of the lower latch 341 laterally bearing said hook 340 (see Figs. 48, 51, 54). Preferably, said control portion 341C, said pull-stroller 341A and said hook 340 corresponding belong to a single piece integrally molded plastic. Said control portion 341C is then advantageously operable from outside the modular block by means of said stroller 341A of the latch 341 to be moved in translation in the oblique direction Z of translation of the push-pull 341A. As shown in FIGS. 46 to 48, in the retracted position (FIG. 48), the base 133A of the pin 133 is locked against the return 351A of the fixed support 351 in the direction parallel to the lateral main face 313 of the modular block 310 , and the control portion 341C is placed in the down position since the stroller 341A to which it is attached is placed in the unlocked position emerging outside the modular block 310. The mounting tail 133B of the base 133A of the pawn 133 is then positioned against the bottom 25 of the groove 341D of the control portion 341C. For its part, the circuit breaker 200 is in its triggered state with its operating lever 230 and its levers lowered. Starting from this state, as illustrated in FIGS. 49 to 51, by pushing the stroller 341A inside the modular block 310, the control portion 341C, which drives the translational movement of said pin 133 along the X axis perpendicular to said main side face 313 concerned, to its extended position (Figure 51). The angle of inclination of the oblique direction Z with respect to the axis X is here 3031234 of the order of 65 °. The displacement along the X axis of the pin 133 is about 5 mm for a displacement of about 10 mm from the control portion 341C in the direction Y parallel to the main lateral face 313. The bottom of the groove 341D is is then moved away from the mounting shank 133B of the pin 133 by a distance equal to about 10 mm. When the pin 133 is in the extended position (FIGS. 49, 50 and 51) and concomitantly placed in the lowered position in said opening 313A, it engages with elements of the circuit breaker 230 connected to the opening and closing device 230 lowered in the tripped position (Figure 49). In this state, the platen 131 of the first mechanical safety element 130 is lowered into the tripped position. As shown in FIGS. 52 to 54, by raising the operating lever 230 to switch on the circuit breaker 200, the pin 133 is caused to move in the opening 313A along a large arc towards its position 15 raised along the groove 341D of the control portion 341C and the tilting of the plate 131 from its triggered position (Figs. 46,49) to its armed position. Advantageously, as illustrated in FIGS. 55 to 57, the bottom 341 E of the groove 341D of said control portion 341C forms a driving surface 20 which, during the opening of said lock 341, causing the displacement of said portion of 341C control in said oblique direction Z (Figure 56), is adapted to press said pin 133 in the extended position to force it, from its raised position in said opening 313A, to move slightly towards its lowered position against the front wafer 351 B said fixed support 351, 25 in an arcuate direction generally transverse to its direction of axial displacement (along the X axis) so that said pin 133 causes the lowering of said opening and closing device 230 of said circuit breaker 200 to the tripped state of the circuit breaker 200. Thus, advantageously, thanks to the invention, the electrical safety is enhanced since the unlocking of the tie-down of the circuit breaker 200 to the app. 300, automatically causes, via the pin 133, the tripping of the circuit breaker 200. In FIGS. 58 to 63, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the modular protection device 300 which resembles the embodiment which 3031234 41 is described except that the pin 133 which establishes the connection between the opening and closing device 230 of the circuit breaker 200 and the first mechanical safety element 130 is fixed relative to the plate 131. The pin 133 can formation with said platen 131 or it can be fixedly attached thereto. As shown in particular in Figure 59, the plate 131 carries a front portion of the pin 133 on its side facing the main lateral face 313 of the modular block 310 joining, and on the other opposite side, it carries a rear portion the pin 133 provided at its free end of the base 133A 10 supporting the mounting tail 133B. The pin 133 being fixed with respect to the plate 131 of the first mechanical safety element 130 of the modular interface 100, it is permanently positioned in projection of the main lateral face 313 of the modular block 310, through the opening 313A corresponding while being able to be moved into said opening 313A between its lowered and raised positions. Thus, here, to join the circuit breaker to this side main side 313 of the modular block, it is necessary to approach the circuit breaker slightly at an angle to engage the pin 133 in the corresponding light of its housing and then straighten the circuit breaker to connect it electrically to the electrical conductors emerging from the cassette 400. As in the previous embodiment, the mounting shank 133B of the pin 133 is mounted in a straight groove 341D of the control portion 341C connected to the 341A stroller 341A of the latch 341. The 341A zipper stroller 341A moves and operates like the stroller-zipper of the previously described embodiment, except that it has a hook 340 for locking the circuit breaker 200 to the modular block 310. that here, it carries a right rib 341 B which cooperates with a straight groove (not visible in the figures) provided in the front wall of the block mo dulaire. Thus, this stroller 341A moves parallel to the main side face 313 of the modular block 310 between its unlocked and locked positions (its operation has already been described earlier in the text). The fixed support 351 which appears in FIGS. 59, 61 and 63 is here inactive since the pin 133 is fixed relative to the plate 131. The base 133A of the pin 133 also remains out of reach of said fixed support 351.

According to this embodiment, advantageously, as illustrated in FIGS. 58 to 63, the bottom 341E of the groove 341 D of said control portion 341C forms a driving surface which, upon opening of said lock 341 causing the said control portion 3410 to move in the vertical direction along the main lateral face 313 (FIG. 63), is able to press on the mounting shank 133B connected to the plate 131 to force the pin 133 placed in position raised (also linked to the plate 131) to move in the opening 313A to its lowered position to cause the lowering of said opening and closing device 230 of said circuit breaker 200 to the tripped state of the circuit breaker 200. Thus advantageously, here too, the electrical safety is enhanced since the unlocking of the securing of the circuit breaker 200 to the protection device 300 automatically causes, via the pin 133, the tripping circuit breaker 200.

In FIGS. 58 and 59, the circuit breaker 200 is shown in its tripped state with its lowered opening and closing device 230, connected to the pin 133 in the lowered position emerging from the lateral main face 313 of the modular block 310 of FIG. In this state, the tie-down of the circuit breaker 200 is locked to the modular block 310 by pushing on the pull-stretches 341A of the latches 341 in order to hook the hooks 340 in the corresponding windows of the circuit-breaker box. The stroller 341A of the lower latch 341 which sinks inside the modular block 310, moves vertically upward the groove 341D of the control portion 341C relative to the base 133A of the pin 133 carried by the plate 131 The bottom of the groove 341D then moved away from the mounting shank 133B by a distance of about 10 mm. As shown in FIGS. 60 and 61, when, subsequently, the circuit breaker 200 is switched on, by raising the lever 230, the pin 133 is moved in a large arc in the opening 313A towards its raised position and, 30 by the same, the mounting shank 133B is slid into the groove 341D until it comes against the bottom 341E of the groove 341D. This movement of the pin 133 from its lowered position to its raised position causes the plate 131 to tilt from its triggered position to its armed position (see FIG. 60).

3031234 43 If subsequently, the installer or the user unlocks the lower latch 341, as shown in FIGS. 62 and 63, it pulls on the control portion 341C which then presses by its drive surface 341E on the tail 133B in connection with the plate 131 to slightly move the pin 133 in the opening 313A from its raised position to its lowered position so that it causes the lowering of the operating lever 230 and the tripping of the circuit breaker 200 The installer or user can then safely intervene on the protection device 300 and / or the circuit breaker 200 which are isolated from the circuit of the electrical installer. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but the skilled person will be able to make any variant consistent with his mind. According to another embodiment, not shown, of the modular apparatus according to the invention, the pin intended to establish the junction between at least one state transfer element of the modular apparatus and the opening and closing device of the circuit breaker, is fixedly secured to a plate mounted to slide axially and rotatably on a mounting axis (parallel to said pin, that is to say perpendicular to the lateral main face considered of the housing of the modular device) integral a fixed part of the housing of the modular device. An edge of this plate, located for example near the mounting axis, is sandwiched between the two teeth of the head of a fork whose handle carries a pin mounted to slide in a groove of a stroller-zipper. a latch for actuating a lashing hook from the modular device to the circuit breaker. Here the stroller-zipper referred to in fact comprises a groove with an oblique portion cooperating with an oblique rib provided in correspondence on the inner face of a front wall of the housing of the modular apparatus. At its base, the head of the fork is slidably mounted on an axis integral with said fixed part of the housing of the modular apparatus, this axis extending parallel to said mounting axis of said plate and said pin carried by said plate. . Finally, at least one positioning rib secured to a fixed part of the housing of the modular apparatus for positioning the pin, in the lowered position, in the bean-shaped opening of the corresponding lateral main face of the modular device.

In the retracted position of the pin, when the plate is moved back into the housing of the modular apparatus, an edge of this plate is locked against a wafer of the aforementioned positioning rib or ribs of said housing. The latch is then in the unlocked position with its stroller-zipper emerging outside the housing of the modular apparatus. The nipple of the handle of the fork is wedged at the bottom of a high end of the groove of the stroller-zipper in the extended position. When a user pushes on the stroller pulls it into the housing of the modular device by moving it in translation in the oblique direction of the groove.

This has the first effect out of the housing of the modular device, the hook attached to the stroller-zipper so that it clings into a corresponding opening of a lateral main face of the circuit breaker. This has the second effect of translational movement of the fork along its axis, perpendicularly to the lateral main face of the housing of the modular device, in the direction of this joining face. In doing so the nipple of the handle of the fork slides in the groove of the stroller-zipper. In its displacement in translation, the fork drives in translation the plate which carries the pin, along its axis of assembly so as to pull the pin outside the housing of the modular apparatus through the corresponding opening of the side main face of this housing. It should be noted that the plate driven by the fork can not pivot about its mounting axis since one of its edges is blocked against the edge of the fixed ribs or said housing.

At the end of the stroke of the fork, the pin is placed in the extended position and in the lowered position in the opening of the corresponding lateral main face of the housing of the modular apparatus and the plate is advanced in such a way that it is disengaged from its cooperation with said ribs of the housing so as to be pivotable about its mounting axis.

In this extended and lowered position the pin engages, through an opening of the circuit breaker box, with the opening and closing device of said circuit breaker in the tripped position. The installer can then raise the control handle of this opening and closing device to switch on the circuit breaker, the connecting pin of the modular device 3031234 navigating in its opening to be placed in the raised position by causing the pivoting of said plate around its mounting axis. Conversely, to dismantle the modular device, it is sufficient for the user 5 to trigger the circuit breaker by lowering the control lever of its opening and closing device, which has the effect of lowering said link pin of the modular device in its opening by causing the pivoting in the opposite direction of said plate around its mounting axis. Then the user unlocks the latch by pulling the stroller-zipper by means of the tip of a tool which engages in a light provided for this purpose in said stroller-zipper. It then translates said stroller-zipper in the oblique direction of its groove so as to unhook the hook hook attached to the stroller and pull back said fork along its axis and, thereby, to back the plate to inside the housing of the modular apparatus 15 for placing said connecting pin in the retracted position. In this state, the user can safely dismount the modular device.

Claims (17)

REVENDICATIONS1. Modular apparatus (100, 300) comprising a housing (310) provided with two lateral main faces (313) parallel to one of which is adapted to be joined to another modular apparatus (200), the housing (310) housing state transfer elements and a pin (133) connected to one of these elements, characterized in that said pin (133) is adapted to be displaced in translation along an axis (X) perpendicular to one of the lateral main faces between a retracted position in which said pin is placed inside the housing (310) set back from said lateral main face (313) and an extended position in which said pin passes through an opening (313A) provided in said lateral main face ( 313) to extend outside said housing projecting from said side main face. A modular apparatus (100, 300) according to claim 1, wherein there is provided a latch (341) for locking the lashing of one modular apparatus to another, said latch (341) forming a moving means axial of said pin (133) between its retracted position and output. 3. Modular device (100, 300) according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the housing (310) houses a fixed support (351) L-profile with a return (351A) angle oriented perpendicular to the faces. main laterals (313) of the housing (310) and wherein said pin (133) has a base (133A) which, in the retracted position of said pin (133), is placed against a face of the return (351A) of said fixed support ( 351), this return face (351A) of said fixed support (351) forming a guiding surface against which the base (133A) of said pin (133) is adapted to slide during the axial displacement of said pin (133) between its retracted positions and exit. Modular apparatus (100, 300) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing (310) houses a control portion (341C) which has a groove (341 D) extending in a direction parallel to one of the main lateral faces (313) of the housing (310), and wherein said pin (133) comprises a base (133A) provided with a mounting tail (133B) mounted in the groove (341D) of said portion control unit (314C), this control part (341C) being operable from outside the housing (310) to be displaced in translation in an oblique direction (Z) with respect to said main lateral face ('313) co ncernée, the displacement in translation in the oblique direction (Z) of the control portion (341C) causing the displacement in translation of said pin (133) along the axis (X) perpendicular to said main lateral face (313) concerned. 5 A modular apparatus (100, 300) according to claim 4, wherein said control portion (341C) is attached to the latch (341) for locking the lashing of said modular apparatus (100, 300) to the other modular apparatus (200). 6. A modular apparatus according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said housing houses a fork whose head encloses a plate fixedly supporting said pin, the fork being slidably mounted on an axis perpendicular to a lateral main face of said housing. and said plate being slidably and pivotally mounted on an axis of assembly parallel to said axis of sliding of the fork, the fork having a handle operable from outside the housing to translate said fork between a retracted position and an advanced position a direction perpendicular to said main lateral face concerned, the displacement in translation of the fork causing the displacement in translation of the plate and the pin along the mounting axis perpendicular to said main lateral face concerned. 20 Modular apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an edge of said plate in the retracted position is locked against the edge of at least one rib carried by a fixed part of said housing so as to block the pivoting of this plate about its axis. mounting, this edge of the plate being clear of any support when said plate is in the advanced position so that the plate is pivotable about its mounting axis. The modular apparatus according to one of claims 6 and 7, wherein said fork is attached to the latch for locking the lashing of said modular apparatus to the other modular apparatus. 9. A modular apparatus (100, 300) according to claim 2, wherein the latch (341) comprises a pull-stroller (341A) translationally mounted in an oblique direction within said housing (310) through an opening (312'B) provided in a front portion (312) of said housing (310), and adapted to be moved from outside said housing (310) between an unlocked position in which a portion of said stroller-pull (341A ) emerges outside the locked casing (310) and locked position in which said stroller (341A) is fully engaged within the casing (310). 10. Modular device (100, 300) according to the preceding claim, wherein the push-pull (341A) carries a rib (341B) extending in said oblique direction, slidably engaged in an oblique groove provided in an inner face. the front wall (312A) of the housing (310). 11. Modular device (100, 300) according to one of claims 2 to 10, wherein there is provided at least one hook (340) operable by said latch (341) for moving said hook (340) between two positions, to namely a rest position in which it is placed inside the housing (310) and a latching position in which it emerges from the housing (310) projecting from one of the main lateral faces (313) of the housing (310). The modular apparatus (100, 300) according to claims 5, 9 and 11, wherein said control portion (341C), said pull-stroller (341A) and said hook (340) belong to a single integral molded piece. plastic material. 13. Modular device according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the handle of said fork comprises a pin engaged in a groove of the stroller-zipper said latch. 20 14. Modular device (100, 300) according to one of the preceding claims, which constitutes a modular interface (100) for the mechanical and electrical connection in series of a circuit breaker (200) and a protection device ( 300) against temporary overvoltages, in particular of atmospheric origin, which interface comprises: - an electrical switch (110) connected to a connector (120) capable of transmitting a signal representative of the operating state of the circuit breaker (200) and / or the protection device (300), and - a first mechanical safety element (130) intended to be connected to the opening and closing device (230) of the circuit breaker (200), movable between a position an army corresponding to the engaged state of the opening and closing device (230) of the circuit breaker (200) and a triggered position corresponding to the tripped state of the opening and closing device (230) of the circuit breaker (200),the first mechanical safety element (130) being adapted in this triggered position to actuate the electrical switch (110) to transmit a signal representative of the tripped state of the circuit breaker (200), wherein the first mechanical safety element (130) comprises a plate (131) through which said pin (133) is movably mounted in axial translation between its two retracted and retracted positions. 5 15. Provisional overvoltage protection device (300), comprising a modular block (310) provided with a receiving housing (320) accommodating at least one plug-in / withdrawable surge arrester cassette (330) containing an overvoltage limiting device ( 333) and a fuse link (335) which establishes the electrical connection of the surge arrester (333) 10 to an electrical terminal of the modular block, wherein the modular block comprises a housing (311,312) which houses a modular interface (100 ) according to claim 14, each actuator (160) associated with a lightning arrester cassette (330) being, on the one hand, connected to said housing (311) by an elastic return means (170) which tends to position said actuator (160) in a release position where it places a lever (145,146) in a release position corresponding to the triggered position of the arm (141) of a second mechanical safety element (140), and, on the other hand, part, held by an element (600) of the lightning arrester cassette (330) connected to the fuse link (335), in a connection position in which said elastic return means (170) is under stress. 20 16. Electrical assembly (1) self-protected against transient overvoltages comprising a protective device (300) against temporary overvoltages, in particular of atmospheric origin, and a circuit breaker (200) connected mechanically and electrically with each other by a modular interface (100) according to claim 14, the housing comprises a main lateral face (313) of junction with the circuit breaker (200) traversed by said pin (133), placed in the extended position, which links said first mechanical element safety device (130) to the opening and closing device (230) of said circuit breaker (200). An electrical assembly (1) according to claim 16 and claims 3 and 5, wherein the bottom (341E) of the groove (341D) of said control portion (341C) forms a driving surface which, when the opening of said latch (341) causing the displacement of said control portion (341C) in said oblique direction (Z), is adapted to press said pin (133) in the extended position to force it to move slightly against the 3031234 Front slice (3516) of said fixed support (351), in a direction generally transverse to its direction of axial displacement so that said pin (133) causes the lowering of said opening and closing device (230) of said circuit breaker ( 200) to the tripped state of the circuit breaker (200). 5