JP4921930B2 - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a circuit breaker, and more particularly to a circuit breaker having a shape in which a power supply side terminal and a load side terminal are arranged vertically to suppress a lateral width.

In order to suppress the thickness in the width direction of the circuit breaker in which the load-side terminal and the power-side terminal are arranged on the front and rear surfaces, the power-side terminal is vertically arranged by adopting a plug-in type in which a conductive bar is inserted and connected. There is a circuit breaker (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Further, the present applicant has proposed a circuit breaker in which a load side terminal is also arranged vertically in addition to a power source side terminal so as to be thin in the width direction (see Patent Document 2).
JP 2001-35341 A JP 2002-216610 A

However, even if both the power supply side terminal and the load side terminal are arranged vertically to form a thin shape, the occupied space of the bimetal piece for detecting the overcurrent is large, and the overcurrent detection operation of the bimetal piece is received. The tripping plate that shuts off the opening / closing mechanism is installed for each bimetal piece, which also occupies a large occupied space.
Therefore, in view of such a problem, the present invention has an object to provide a circuit breaker that can reduce the occupied space of the bimetal piece and the tripping plate and further reduce the thickness.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in 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 a circuit breaker case provided with an operation handle for opening / closing an opening / closing contact provided in an electric circuit between the separator, a separator for opening the opening / closing contact, a bimetal piece for detecting occurrence of overcurrent, and a latch When an electric circuit abnormality such as overcurrent occurs with a mechanism, the latch is released, and the separator is urged and moved in a predetermined direction to open the switching contact, and the overcurrent detection operation of the bimetal piece in the circuit breaker having a tripping plate for transmitting to said switching mechanism, said bimetallic strip is attached to the terminal fitting of the line terminal, stretching disposed toward the distal end by fixing the base portion to the terminal fitting forward In addition, when an overcurrent occurs, the tip is attached so that the tip is deformed upward, and the tripping plate includes a plurality of engaging portions with which the tip of the bimetal piece engages at an appropriate portion in the vertical direction. It has a piece engaging portion and slides upward upon receiving an overcurrent detection operation of any one of the bimetal pieces .
According to this configuration, since the bimetal pieces are installed toward the front orthogonal to the power supply side terminals arranged vertically, the bimetal pieces provided on the individual power supply side terminals are parallel to each other in the forward direction. And arranged vertically. Therefore, the space occupied by the bimetal pieces can be minimized without crossing and adjacent to the left and right.

Further, it is possible to cope with a single tripping plate that moves in the vertical direction with respect to a plurality of bimetal pieces, and the installation space of the tripping plate can be minimized.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 , guide means for guiding the slide of the tripping plate is provided on a side surface of the circuit breaker case.
According to this configuration, since the tripping plate is guided by the case itself, no separate guide member is required.

According to the present invention, since the bimetal pieces are installed toward the front orthogonal to the power supply side terminals arranged vertically, the bimetal pieces provided on the individual power supply side terminals are parallel to each other toward the front, And arranged vertically. Therefore, the space occupied by the bimetal pieces can be minimized without crossing and adjacent to the left and right.
In addition, since the bimetal piece is deformed upward, it can be dealt with by one trip plate that moves in the vertical direction with respect to the plurality of bimetal pieces, and the installation space of the trip plate can be minimized.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show an example of a circuit breaker according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a right side view of a circuit breaker on state, FIG. 2 is a right side view of a circuit breaker trip state, and FIG. 3 is a circuit breaker off state. FIG. 4 is a right side view, FIG. 4 is a perspective view when the circuit breaker is on, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the rear, showing the configuration of the circuit breaker installed in the single-phase three-wire circuit. Both show the state where the right case is removed from the circuit breaker case consisting of the left and right cases, and FIG. 5 shows the state where the breaker case is opened and the tripping plate is separated.

  In each figure, 1 (1a, 1b, 1c) is a power supply side terminal, 2 (2a, 2b, 2c) is a load side terminal, and the power supply side terminal 1 and the load side terminal 2 are aligned in a vertical line. Has been. Further, 3 is an operation handle for turning on / off the electric circuit from the power supply side terminal 1 to the load side terminal 2, 4 is a zero-phase current transformer for detecting leakage, and 5 is an open / close contact (not shown). Separator for operating and cutting off the electric circuit, 6 is provided with a latch mechanism, and an open / close mechanism for sliding the separator 5 to open the open / close contact when an electric circuit abnormality such as leakage or overcurrent occurs. A tripping device, 8 is a printed circuit board on which a circuit for tripping and operating the electromagnetic trip device 7 when a leakage occurs, 9 is a bimetal piece for detecting an overcurrent, 10 is a movable electromagnetic piece for detecting a short circuit, 12 Is a tripping plate that receives the operation of the bimetal piece 9, the movable electromagnetic piece 10, and the electromagnetic tripping device 7 and operates the opening / closing mechanism 6 to shut off.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the circuit breaker case 15 includes a left case 15a and a right case 15b formed substantially symmetrically with the left case 15a. 4 shows a state in which the central load side terminal 2b is closed by the closing member 16, but the terminals not used in this way are covered so that dust and the like do not enter.

The power supply side terminal 1 has a neutral electrode terminal 1a at the upper part, voltage electrode terminals 1b and 1c at the center and lower terminals, has a substantially C-shaped terminal fitting, and is a conductor bar disposed in a distribution board. It is formed as a plug-in type terminal connected by simply inserting (not shown).
On the other hand, the load-side terminal 2 is a neutral terminal 2b at the center and the voltage terminals 2a and 2c at the upper and lower terminals, and is formed by a quick-connect terminal that is connected by simply inserting an electric wire. .

  The separator 5 is formed in a cylindrical shape, is installed in parallel to the front surface of the circuit breaker case 15 provided with the load side terminal 2, and is a fixed contact 18 (shown in FIG. 1) extending from the terminal fitting 17 of each load side terminal 2. .) And three movable contacts 19 (shown in FIG. 1) are provided in the interior in accordance with the fixed contacts, and the opening / closing mechanism 6 for moving the separator 5 upward to perform a shut-off operation. Are integrally formed. And it is always urged | biased by the longitudinal direction upper direction of the separator 5 with the coil spring 20 arrange | positioned between the circuit breaker cases 15. FIG. The switching contact is composed of the fixed contact 18 and the movable contact 19.

  The tripping plate 12 has a length from the lower part in the circuit breaker case 15 to the upper opening / closing mechanism part 6, and as shown in FIG. 5, the first engaging parts 21 and 21 engaged with the bimetal piece 9 at the lower part. , Second engaging portions 22, 22 that engage with the movable electromagnetic piece 10, a third engaging portion 23 that engages with the electromagnetic trip device 7 at the center, and an open / close mechanism portion 6 at the upper end to shut off A blocking operation projection 24 is provided.

This tripping plate 12 is arranged to slide up and down parallel to the back surface of the circuit breaker case 15 in which the power supply side terminal 1 is arranged, and as shown in the inner side view of the right case in FIG. A guide protrusion 27 (guide means) for guiding the movement of the release plate 12 and a holding wall 28 (guide means) for holding and guiding from the front and rear are formed. On the other hand, a guide groove 29 that engages with the guide protrusion 27 is formed in the tripping plate 12. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the tripping plate 12 is assembled to the right case 15b. (A) shows the position of an energized state, (b) shows the position at the time of interruption | blocking operation | movement, and all have attached the tripping plate 12 hatching and are easy to understand.
In this way, the tripping plate 12 arranged to be smoothly slidable by the guiding means is arranged to be biased downward by the coil spring 25 provided between the circuit breaker case 15 and the tripping plate 12.

The bimetal piece 9 is formed in a plate shape, and one end is fixed to a connecting piece 30a extending in a substantially S shape from the terminal fitting 30 provided on the two voltage electrode terminals 1b and 1c of the power supply side terminal 1, and extends forward. Are arranged. And the front-end | tip is bent upwards and the space for drawing out the welded flexible copper wire 31 is formed below. The bimetal piece 9 is formed such that when an overcurrent flows through the electric path, the bimetal piece 9 is thermally deformed so that the tip is warped upward, and engages with the first engagement portion 21 of the tripping plate 12 by warping.
Moreover, the movable electromagnetic piece 10 is assembled in the middle of the connecting piece 30a, and when a short-circuit current flows, the movable electromagnetic piece 10 rotates and the tip moves upward. By this operation, the tip is engaged with the second engagement portion 22 of the tripping plate 12.

  The circuit breaker thus formed operates as follows. First, in the off state shown in FIG. 3, the separator 5 is urged by the coil spring 20 and slid upward, and the open / close contact is in an open state. That is, the load side terminal 2 is in a state of being opened from the power source side terminal 1. When the operating handle 3 is rotated rearward from this state, the separator 5 is pressed by the link means provided between the operating handle 3 and the separator 5 and slides downward along the longitudinal axis. In addition, the opening / closing mechanism 6 integrated with the separator 5 is also moved to a latched state.

  When the rotation of the operation handle 3 is continued to the final position (position where the handle becomes horizontal) in this way, the switching contact is in the closed state (ON state) in FIG. 1, and the electric circuit between the load side terminal 2 and the power source side terminal 1 is Connected. At this time, the separator 5 is urged upward by the coil spring 20, but this ON state is maintained unless the OFF operation or the latch of the opening / closing mechanism unit 9 is released (unless the trip operation is performed). At this time, the tripping plate 12 is in the state shown in FIG.

  In this energized state, when an overcurrent flows through the electric circuit and at least one of the bimetal pieces 9 and 9 provided on the two power supply side terminals 1b and 1c is thermally deformed and warped, the first engagement of the tripping plate 12 is performed. The tip of the bimetal piece 9 comes into contact with the joint portion 21, and the tripping plate 12 is slid upward (state shown in FIG. 7B). As a result of this slide, the shut-off operation projection 24, which is the upper end of the tripping plate 12, is engaged with the opening / closing mechanism portion 6 to release the latched state and perform a trip operation, and the separator 5 slides upward. Thus, the breaking operation is performed and the switching contact is opened.

  In addition, when a short circuit current flows through the electric circuit, at least one of the two movable electromagnetic pieces 10 and 10 operates in response to the short circuit current. This operation engages the second engagement portion 22 of the tripping plate 12 and slides the tripping plate 12 upward. In the subsequent operation, as in the case of the operation of the bimetal piece 9, the latch of the switching mechanism portion 6 is released and a trip operation is performed, and the separator 5 slides to open the switching contact.

  Further, when a leakage occurs, the zero-phase current transformer 4 detects it and the plunger of the electromagnetic trip device 7 is retracted. In response to this operation, an engaging means (not shown) is engaged with the third engaging portion 23 of the tripping plate 12, and the tripping plate 12 slides upward. The subsequent operation is the same as in the case of the bimetal piece 9 and the movable electromagnetic piece 10, and a trip operation is performed to open the switching contact. Thus, when an overcurrent, a short circuit current, or even a leakage occurs, the interruption operation is performed.

In this way, since the bimetal pieces are installed toward the front perpendicular to the power supply side terminals arranged in the vertical direction, the bimetal pieces provided on the individual power supply side terminals are parallel to each other in the vertical direction. Arranged. Therefore, the space occupied by the bimetal pieces can be minimized without crossing and adjacent to the left and right.
Further, since one tripping plate is arranged in the vertical direction parallel to the terminal arrangement of the power supply side terminals and the engaging portions of the plurality of bimetal pieces are provided, a small installation space is sufficient. Furthermore, since the sliding direction is also the vertical direction, no movement space is required in the front / rear / left / right direction.
Further, since the tripping plate is guided to the circuit breaker case itself, no separate guide member is required.

  In the above-described embodiment, the circuit breaker has been described that includes a leakage breaker mechanism in addition to the overcurrent breaker mechanism and the short-circuit breaker mechanism, and handles all with one trip plate. However, the leakage breaker mechanism may not be provided. . Moreover, although the circuit breaker of the single-phase three-wire circuit has been described, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the present invention is also applied to a circuit breaker used for a single-phase two-wire circuit or a three-phase circuit. Is easily applicable.

It is a right view of the ON state of the circuit breaker which concerns on this invention, (a) is the state which removed the right case, (b) has shown the A section enlarged view. It is a right view of the trip state of FIG. 1, (a) is the state which removed the right case, (b) is the B section enlarged view. It is a right view of the OFF state of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1. It is the disassembled perspective view of the circuit breaker of FIG. 1 seen from diagonally back, and has shown the state which removed the trip board. It is an inner side view of the circuit breaker case (right case) of the state which removed the components. It is the figure which assembled | attached the tripping plate to the right case of FIG. 6, (a) is an electricity supply state, (b) has shown arrangement | positioning of the interruption | blocking operation state.

Explanation of symbols

  1 .... Power supply side terminal 2 .... Load side terminal 3 .... Operating handle 5 .... Separator 6 .... Opening / closing mechanism part 7 .... Electromagnetic tripping device 9 .... Bimetal piece 12 .... Pull Detachable plate, 15 ... Circuit breaker case, 21 ... First engaging part, 24 ... Breaking operation projection, 27 ... Guide projection (guide means), 28 ... Holding wall (guide means), 29 ... Guide groove. 30 .. Terminal fittings.

Claims (2)

A plurality of power supply side terminals on the back and a plurality of load side terminals on the front are arranged in the vertical direction, and an operation handle for opening and closing a switching contact provided on an electric path between the power supply side terminal and the load side terminal on the top surface In the circuit breaker case, the separator for opening the switching contact, the bimetal piece for detecting the occurrence of overcurrent, and the latch mechanism are equipped with a latch when an electric circuit abnormality such as overcurrent occurs. A circuit comprising: an opening / closing mechanism that releases the separator in a predetermined direction to open the switching contact; and a tripping plate that transmits an overcurrent detection operation of the bimetal piece to the opening / closing mechanism. In the circuit breaker,
The bimetal piece is attached to the terminal metal fitting of the power supply side terminal, the base is fixed to the terminal metal fitting and the tip is extended to the front, and when the overcurrent occurs, the tip is attached to be deformed upward,
The tripping plate includes a plurality of engaging portions for engaging the tip of the bimetal piece at an appropriate portion in the vertical direction, and has a plurality of engaging portions for the bimetal piece. A circuit breaker that slides upward in response to a current detection operation . On the sides of the circuit breaker case, the circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein is provided a guide means for guiding the sliding of the trip plate.

Images