JP2008130379A - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a circuit breaker, equipped with a tripping member cover capable of executing a transmission operation of a tripping member in a space-saving manner, and of facilitating wire treatment of a lead wire and the like, as well. <P>SOLUTION: The tripping members 14 making a switching mechanism part 8 execute a tripping operation, by operating it and receiving detection operation of an abnormality detection means are formed by providing length according to the arrangement of power-side terminals 1, arranged vertically, in parallel with the power-side terminals 1 by interposing the abnormality detection means therebetween, and vertically and slidably supported by the tripping member covers 15. The tripping member cover 15 holds the tripping member 14, together with a side surface of a breaker case 16 and is provided with a wire supporting part on a surface opposite to the holding surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a circuit breaker, and more particularly to a circuit breaker having a shape with a suppressed lateral width.

  The circuit breaker has a short-circuit breaker function and an overcurrent breaker function that shuts off the circuit when a short-circuit current or a current exceeding the rated value flows in the circuit to be interrupted. Some of them have a function to cut off the earth leakage. A circuit breaker having a leakage breaker function detects a leakage of an electric circuit with a zero-phase current transformer, and when a leakage occurs, operates a magnet coil (electromagnetic trip device) provided with a plunger to perform a breaking operation. Specifically, the separator that opens and closes the open / close contact provided in the electric circuit is kept closed by the latching action of the open / close mechanism, and when the electromagnetic trip device is tripped, the latch is released and the separator is shut off Let Also, the overcurrent is detected using a bimetal, the short circuit current is detected using a movable electromagnetic piece or a magnet coil, and this detection operation is transmitted to the opening / closing mechanism by a tripping member. The shut-off operation is performed.

In such a circuit breaker, there is a configuration shown in Patent Document 1, for example, in which the circuit breaker is configured to be downsized, in particular, to reduce the lateral width. This is a circuit breaker having a two-pole electric circuit, and the power supply side terminals are arranged in steps to reduce the lateral width.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-67050 JP 2002-216610 A

However, further downsizing, especially thinning of the lateral width will be promoted, and for example, as shown in Patent Document 2, both the power supply side terminal and the load side terminal will be arranged vertically to suppress the lateral width of the circuit breaker case to about 10 mm. In this case, even if the front and rear terminal forming portions can be narrowed, it is difficult to store them in a narrow space that has become thinner with the conventional component structure.
For example, when an abnormal current such as an overcurrent or a short-circuit current is detected by a bimetal or a movable electromagnetic piece, the conventional tripping member that transmits the operation to the opening / closing mechanism portion is rotated and transmitted. This is a hindrance to downsizing, and wiring such as lead wires connecting the zero-phase current transformer and the leakage detection circuit easily interferes with movable members such as tripping members in a narrow housing space, and is thin It was difficult to process when converting

  Accordingly, in view of such problems, the present invention provides a circuit breaker provided with a tripping member cover that can carry out the transmission operation of the tripping member in a space-saving manner and can easily handle electric wires such as lead wires. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is arranged such that a plurality of power supply side terminals are arranged on the back surface and a plurality of load side terminals are arranged in the vertical direction on the front surface, and the power supply side terminals and the load side terminals are arranged on the top surface. In the circuit breaker case where an operation handle for opening and closing the switching contact provided in the electric circuit is arranged, a separator for operating the switching contact, a switching mechanism for operating the separator, and an electric circuit abnormality such as an overcurrent A circuit breaker having a tripping member for transmitting detection operations of a plurality of abnormality detection means to the opening / closing mechanism, wherein the tripping member is formed in a vertically long shape according to a power supply side terminal arrangement. In addition, the plurality of abnormality detection means are arranged substantially in parallel with the power supply side terminal with the plurality of abnormality detection means interposed therebetween, and are supported by a tripping member cover fixed to the circuit breaker case and slide in the vertical direction. Receive detection The tripping member slides to open and close the opening / closing mechanism, and the tripping member cover holds the tripping member between the back surface and the side of the circuit breaker case, and the wire support portion on the front surface. It is characterized by having.

  According to this configuration, the tripping member cover slidably holds the tripping member together with the circuit breaker case, so that a smooth tripping operation can be realized by linear movement regardless of the turning operation. In addition, since the electric wire is supported by the front surface opposite to the holding surface, even if the electric wire such as a lead wire or a flexible copper wire is disposed so as to pass near the tripping member, the tripping member cover is not Is prevented from coming into contact with the tripping member, and the electric wire does not affect the operation of the tripping member. Furthermore, the arrangement | positioning process of an electric wire is easy by making an electric wire support part support an electric wire.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the electric wire support portion provided on the front surface of the tripping member cover is provided with a holding recess for holding the electric wire.
According to this configuration, the electric wire is accommodated in the guide recess, so that the arrangement path of the electric wire can be secured, the space in the circuit breaker case can be used effectively, and the electric wire moves to another place and affects the device operation. There is no such thing.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tripping member cover has a spring locking portion that locks one end of a coil spring that returns the tripping member from the tripping operation. And
According to this configuration, since it is not necessary to directly engage one end of the coil spring with the circuit breaker case, the trip member can be easily assembled.

  According to the present invention, the tripping member cover slidably holds the tripping member together with the circuit breaker case, so that a smooth tripping operation can be realized by linear movement regardless of the turning operation. In addition, since the electric wire is supported by the front surface opposite to the holding surface, even if the electric wire such as a lead wire or a flexible copper wire is disposed so as to pass near the tripping member, the tripping member cover is not Is prevented from coming into contact with the tripping member, and the electric wire does not affect the operation of the tripping member. Furthermore, the arrangement | positioning process of an electric wire is easy by making an electric wire support part support an electric wire.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show the configuration of a circuit breaker used in a single-phase three-wire circuit as an example of a circuit breaker according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a right side view showing a state in which the right case is removed while the circuit breaker is off, and a tripping member cover is shown separately. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the circuit breaker of FIG. 1 in an on state, with the tripping plate separated and the right case removed. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the circuit breaker in the state of FIG. 2, showing a state in which the left case is removed, and separately showing a tripping member cover. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG. 3 and shows a tripping member cover separately.

  In each figure, 1 (1a, 1b, 1c) is a power supply side terminal arranged on the back surface, 2 (2a, 2b, 2c) is a load side terminal arranged on the front surface, and both are 3 in a straight line vertically. The terminals are aligned. Reference numeral 3 denotes an operation handle for turning on / off an electric circuit from the power supply side terminal 1 to the load side terminal 2, 5 denotes a zero-phase current transformer for detecting electric leakage, and 6 denotes a fixed contact 6a and a movable contact 6b. The open / close contact provided on the electric circuit, 7 is a separator for opening and closing the open / close contact 6, and 8 is provided with a latch mechanism, and when the electric circuit abnormality such as leakage or overcurrent occurs, the separator 7 is provided. An opening / closing mechanism portion provided with an opening / closing mechanism for moving the opening / closing contact 6 to open (shut-off operation), 9 an electromagnetic tripping device provided with a plunger 9a, and 10 an operation for tripping the electromagnetic tripping device 9 when a leakage occurs A printed circuit board with a leakage detecting circuit to be mounted, 12 is a bimetal piece for detecting an overcurrent, 13 is a movable electromagnetic piece for detecting a short circuit, 14 is a bimetal piece 12, a movable electromagnetic piece 13, and an electromagnetic trip device Tripping member which to transmit the operation to the opening and closing mechanism 8 releases the latch of the switching mechanism portion 8 interrupted operation, 15 tripping member cover for supporting the tripping member, 16 is a breaker case.

The circuit breaker case 16 is composed of a left case 16a shown in the figure and a right case (shown in FIG. 2) 16b formed substantially symmetrically with the left case 16a, and the back surface provided with the power supply side terminal 1 is a vertical surface. The front surface provided with the load side terminal 2 is slightly inclined upward so that the electric wire can be easily connected.
In FIG. 4, the load side terminal 2 (2b) at the center is closed by the closing plate 11, but the terminals not used in this way are covered so that dust and the like do not enter. 1 to 4 omit the elements mounted on the printed circuit board 10 and the wiring of the printed circuit board.

The power supply side terminal 1 is arranged from the top as a neutral electrode terminal 1a, a voltage electrode terminal 1b, and a voltage electrode terminal 1c, has a substantially C-shaped terminal fitting 17, and is a conductor bar arranged in a distribution board. It is formed as a plug-in type terminal connected by simply inserting (not shown). In addition, a band plate 18 bent in a substantially S shape is extended to the two terminal fittings 17 of the voltage electrode, and a movable electromagnetic piece 13 and a bimetal piece 12 are attached thereto.
The bimetal piece 12 and the movable electromagnetic piece 13 are both attached so as to be deformed or rotated upward when an overcurrent or a short-circuit current is detected. The bimetal piece 12 and the movable electromagnetic piece 13 together with the electromagnetic trip device 9 constitute an abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality in the electric circuit.

  The load side terminal 2 is arranged from the top in the order of the voltage electrode terminal 2a, the neutral electrode terminal 2b, and the voltage electrode terminal 2c, and the terminal fitting 19 provided at each terminal is used for the inserted electric wire (not shown). It is formed as a quick connection terminal that stops and is electrically connected. Further, the terminal fitting 19 has a strip 18 extending rearward, and forms a fixed contact having a fixed contact 6a at the tip.

  The separator 7 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is installed in parallel with the front surface of the circuit breaker case 15 in a state in which the separator 7 is always urged upward by the coil spring 21. And the fixed contacts 6a, 6a... Connected to the individual load side terminals 2a, 2b, 2c. 6a is accommodated, and three movable contacts 6b, 6b, 6b are provided inside according to the fixed contact 6a, and both contacts (open / close contact 6) are brought into contact / dissociation operation by sliding in the longitudinal direction, The circuit breaker is configured to be turned on / off.

  The opening / closing mechanism 8 is integrally formed on the upper portion of the separator 7, is in a latched state in the ON state shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, and maintains a state where the separator 7 is slid downward. Since the separator 7 is biased upward by the coil spring 21, when the latch mechanism (not shown) inside the opening / closing mechanism 8 is released by the engaging operation of the tripping member 14, the separator 7 Is opened and slides upward (blocking operation), and the switching contact 6 is dissociated as shown in FIG.

The printed circuit board 10 is arranged in parallel with the side surface of the circuit breaker case 16 at the upper part of the circuit breaker case 16 from the vicinity of the operation handle 3 to the back, and the electromagnetic trip device 9 is assembled adjacent to the lower part thereof. This electromagnetic trip device 9 is installed with the plunger 9a facing in the front-rear direction, and is disposed at a position in front of the upper power supply side terminal 1a.
As a result, the upper part is adjacent to the pair of the bimetal piece 12 and the movable electromagnetic piece 13 provided on the two voltage electrode terminals 1b and 1c, and three types of abnormality detecting means are arranged in the vertical and rearward directions. ing.
The plunger 9a installed in the front-rear direction is assembled with a crank member 22 for converting a backward drawing operation into an upward displacement operation, and engages with the pulling member 14 so as to urge upward. It is configured.

  The zero-phase current transformer 5 is disposed in a lower space formed between the separator 7 and the tripping member 14, and is arranged with the central axis of the coil for detecting the zero-phase current facing left and right. Then, three single-phase three-wire electric circuits are formed by a conductor 20 made of a copper plate, and are inserted and bent through an insertion hole in the center of the coil to reduce the thickness in the central axis direction. The conductor 20 is connected to the open / close contact 6 and the like via a flexible conductive wire 23.

  The tripping member 14 is formed as shown in FIG. 2 and has a length corresponding to the arrangement of the power supply side terminals 1 and is parallel to the terminal arrangement of the power supply side terminals 1 with an abnormality detecting means such as the bimetal piece 12 interposed therebetween. Are arranged vertically. Further, the tripping member 14 is engaged with movable electromagnetic pieces 13 and 13 provided on the electric paths of the two voltage electrode terminals 1b and 1c, and the engaging portions 14a and 14a for transmitting the operation to the opening / closing mechanism portion 8 are provided. Engagement parts 14b and 14b for engaging the pieces 12 and 12 and transmitting the operation to the opening / closing mechanism part 8, and further engaging for engaging the electromagnetic trip device 9 and transmitting the detection operation to the opening and closing mechanism part 8 The uppermost part is an engaging protrusion 14d that engages with the opening / closing mechanism part 8. The trip member 14 is disposed along the inner surface of the right case 16b by the trip member cover 15.

  On the other hand, the tripping member cover 15 has a shape as shown in FIG. 5 (a) is a front view, FIG. 5 (b) is a perspective view, FIG. 5 (c) is a rear perspective view, 15a is an attachment hole for attaching to the circuit breaker case 16 (right case 16b), and 15b. Is a housing portion that holds the substantially central portion of the tripping member 14, 15c is a latching portion that latches one end of the coil spring 24 for tripping the tripping member 14 and returning from the operation, and 15d is a holding portion that holds the lead wire. A recess 15 e is a holding groove for holding the flexible conductive wire 23. Reference numeral 25 denotes a lead wire.

  The tripping member cover 15 formed in this way holds the substantially central portion of the tripping member 14 as shown in FIG. 1 and is fixed to the right case 16b. The right case 16b is provided with three protrusions (not shown) in accordance with the mounting holes 15a of the tripping member cover 15. Further, when the tripping member 14 is accommodated, the coil spring 24 is disposed between the two.

  FIG. 6 is a view in which the lead wire 25 connected to the printed circuit board 10 is added to the side view of FIG. 3, and a part of the electric wire such as the lead wire 25 and the flexible conductive wire 23 is removed. Is contained and held. A lead wire 25 extends from the printed circuit board 10 to the zero-phase current transformer 5 and the electric circuit, and is arranged on the tripping member cover 15 and arranged on the tripping member cover 15, and a part of the flexible conductive wire 23 forming a part of the electric circuit is also provided. The tripping plate cover 15 is disposed on the tripping member cover 15 and forms an electric wire arrangement path.

  By configuring the circuit breaker as described above, when a leakage occurs, the electromagnetic trip device 9 trips and moves the trip member 14 upward. Then, the tripping member 14 is engaged with the opening / closing mechanism 8, the latch is released, and the separator 7 is shut off. In addition, when an overcurrent occurs, the bimetal piece 12 is deformed, and similarly performs a shut-off operation via the tripping member 14 and the opening / closing mechanism unit 8, and when a short-circuit current occurs, the movable electromagnetic piece 13 operates to similarly perform a shut-off operation. To do.

Thus, since the tripping member cover slidably holds the tripping member together with the circuit breaker case, a smooth tripping operation can be realized by linear movement regardless of the turning operation. In addition, since the electric wire support part is provided on the front surface opposite to the holding surface to support the electric wire, even if the electric wire such as a lead wire or a flexible copper wire is disposed so as to pass through the vicinity of the detaching member, the electric wire is supported. The removing member cover prevents the electric wire from coming into contact with the tripping member, and the electric wire does not affect the operation of the tripping member.
In addition, by holding the electric wire in the holding recess of the tripping member cover, it is possible to secure the arrangement path of the electric wire, effectively use the space in the circuit breaker case, and the electric wire moves to another place to operate the equipment. There is no such thing as instability.
In addition, since one end of the coil spring that returns the tripping member from the tripping operation is locked to the tripping member cover, it is not necessary to lock the tripping member directly to the circuit breaker case, and the tripping member can be easily assembled. it can.

  The circuit breaker having a leakage breaker function has been described above. However, a no-fuse breaker having no leakage breaker function is configured as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a left side view of the no-fuse breaker, showing a state in which the left case is removed in a circuit breaker-off state, and a trip plate cover 15 is separately shown. As shown in FIG. 7, in the case of a no-fuse breaker, since there is no printed circuit board with a circuit for judging leakage, there is no lead wire for that purpose, so the tripping member cover 15 has the above-mentioned structure as shown in FIG. However, the flexible conductor 23 continues to exist, the holding groove 15e for holding the flexible conductor 23 is effectively used, and the tripping member cover 15 is provided to provide flexibility. The conducting wire 23 does not interfere with the tripping member 14, the tripping member 14 slides smoothly, and the insulation distance between the flexible conducting wires 23 can be easily secured.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the circuit breaker of the single-phase three-wire circuit, the structure of this invention is easy also with respect to the circuit breaker used for a single-phase two-wire circuit or a three-phase circuit. Applicable.

It is a right view which shows an example of the circuit breaker which concerns on this invention, the state which removed the right case in the circuit breaker OFF state, and shows the tripping member cover separately. It is the perspective view of the ON state of the circuit breaker of FIG. 1, and is the figure which added the right case which removed the trip board and removed. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the circuit breaker in the state of FIG. 2, showing a state in which the left case is removed, and separately showing a tripping member cover. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG. 3 showing a tripping member cover separately. The trip member cover is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a perspective view, and (c) is a rear side perspective view. It is the figure which added the lead wire to the circuit breaker of the state of FIG. It is a left view of the no-fuse breaker which shows the other example of this invention and does not have an earth-leakage interruption | blocking function. The state which removed the left case in the circuit breaker OFF state is shown, and the tripping member cover is shown separately.

Explanation of symbols

  1 .... Power supply side terminal 2 .... Load side terminal 3 .... Operating handle 5 .... Zero-phase current transformer 6 .... Open / close contact point 7 .... Separator 8 .... Open / close mechanism part 9 .... Electromagnetic tripping device, 10 ... Printed circuit board, 12 ... Bimetal piece, 13 ... Movable electromagnetic piece, 14 ... Trip member, 15 ... Trip member cover, 15a ... Mounting hole, 15b ... Housing , 15c ... Locking part, 15d ... Holding recess (wire support part), 15e ... Holding groove (wire support part), 16 ... Circuit breaker case, 23 ... Flexible conductor (wire), 24 ... Coil spring, 25 ... Lead wire (electric wire).

Claims (3)

A plurality of power supply side terminals on the back and a plurality of load side terminals on the front are arranged vertically, and an operation handle for opening and closing a switching contact provided on an electric circuit between the power supply side terminal and the load side terminal is provided on the top surface. In the arranged circuit breaker case, the switching operation is performed by a separator that shuts off the switching contact, an opening / closing mechanism that shuts off the separator, and a plurality of abnormality detecting means that detect an electric circuit abnormality such as overcurrent. A circuit breaker comprising a tripping member for transmitting to the part,
The tripping member is formed in a vertically long shape according to the power supply side terminal arrangement, and the tripping member cover is arranged substantially in parallel with the power supply side terminal with the plurality of abnormality detection means interposed therebetween, and is fixed to the circuit breaker case. Slid in the longitudinal direction supported by the one of the plurality of abnormality detection means, one tripping member slides to cause the opening / closing mechanism part to detach,
The circuit breaker, wherein the tripping member cover holds the tripping member on the back surface and the side of the circuit breaker case, and has a wire support portion on the front surface. The circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the wire support portion provided on the front surface of the tripping member cover is provided with a holding recess for holding the wire. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tripping member cover has a spring locking portion that locks one end of a coil spring that returns the tripping member from the tripping operation.

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