JP6878106B2 - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a circuit breaker, and more particularly to a circuit breaker in which the load side terminal is a quick connection terminal and arranged in a row in the height direction of the circuit breaker housing.

Circuit breakers with load-side terminals as quick-connect terminals are popular because they make it easy to connect electric wires and the terminals can be made smaller. Further, in order to reduce the size of the circuit breaker, there is a circuit breaker in which terminals are arranged in a row in the height direction of the circuit breaker housing to narrow the width.
As described above, there is a circuit breaker disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a circuit breaker in which the load side terminal is used as a quick-connect terminal for miniaturization and the width is narrowed to be thin. In Patent Document 1, the power supply side terminals are arranged in a row in the height direction of the circuit breaker housing as the load side terminals as plug-in type terminals connected by simply inserting a copper bar, and the circuit breaker is further modified. We are trying to make it smaller (thinner).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-150939

A circuit breaker with a load-side terminal as a quick-connect terminal is used to release the locked state because the electric wire inserted into the quick-connect terminal and connected is locked by the internal terminal fitting so that it will not come off. Equipped with a release lever.
However, since this release lever did not have a mechanism for holding the release operation state, the release lever had to be continuously operated in order to maintain the release state. For example, in Patent Document 1, the release operation in which the load side terminal is provided and tilted upward from the front can be rotated and the release operation can be performed. However, in order to maintain this release state, the standing state is required. The worker had to keep holding it by hand.
In order to avoid this troublesomeness, it is conceivable to prepare a holding member separately to hold the release state of the release lever, but this increases the number of members and is troublesome to operate.

Therefore, in view of such a problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a circuit breaker in which the release lever itself is provided with a function of holding a state in which the wire retaining action of the terminal fitting of the quick-connect terminal is released. ..

In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is electrically connected to an electric circuit provided inside the circuit breaker housing only by inserting an electric wire into a terminal hole provided in the circuit breaker housing. A circuit breaker in which a plurality of quick-connect terminals are arranged in a row, and a release mechanism for releasing the wire locking action by the terminal fittings arranged in the quick-connect terminals and a release lever for operating the release mechanism are provided. The release mechanism is installed near the slide body that slides in the direction parallel to the arrangement direction of the quick-connect terminals by the rotation operation of the release lever, and the slide body slides to rotate to the specific part of the terminal metal fittings. It consists of a rotating body that presses to release the locking action on the electric wire, and the release lever is inside the circuit breaker housing, the shaft part that is attached to the circuit breaker housing, the lever part that is exposed from the circuit breaker housing, and the circuit breaker housing. It has an engaging tongue piece that is arranged and abuts on the end of the slide body, and the engaging tongue piece pushes and slides the sliding body by the rotation operation of the release lever, and the rotating body is rotated by the slide. With the wire locking action of the terminal fitting released, the line of action connecting the contact surface of the slide body with the engaging tongue piece and the part of the sliding body that comes into contact with the sliding body of the engaging tongue piece is abbreviated. becomes orthogonal state, the angle of the release lever is characterized that you held.
According to this configuration, the unlocked state is maintained without assembling a separate member, so that there is no need to keep operating the release lever while the unlocked state is to be maintained as in the conventional case. Easy to attach / detach the electric wire.

In addition, the released state can be maintained with a simple structure, no new member is required, and the conventional structure only needs to be slightly changed.

According to the present invention, since the unlocked state is maintained without assembling a separate member, there is no need to keep operating the release lever while the unlocked state is to be maintained as in the conventional case. Easy to attach / detach the electric wire.

An example of the circuit breaker according to the present invention is shown, and it is the side explanatory view which saw through the inside. It is an enlarged explanatory view near the release lever of FIG. It is an enlarged explanatory view of the vicinity of the release lever in the state where the release lever is operated.

Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an example of a circuit breaker according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a side view showing a perspective view of the inside, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view of the vicinity of the release lever of FIG.
1 is a power supply side terminal formed on the back surface of the circuit breaker housing 10, 2 is a load side terminal formed on the front surface of the circuit breaker housing 10, and 4 is a set of a plurality of movable contacts and fixed contacts arranged inside. Separator 5 that operates the movable contact of the circuit breaker housing 10 to turn on / off the electric circuit, is an operation handle that is arranged on the upper surface of the circuit breaker housing 10 and opens and closes the electric circuit between the power supply side terminal 1 and the load side terminal 2. Is an electromagnetic device that detects an overcurrent, 7 is an opening / closing mechanism that operates the separator 4 in response to the operation of the operation handle 5 or the operation of the electromagnetic device 6, and 8 is an electric wire inserted into the load side terminal 2 (not shown). It is a release lever that enables the extraction of the housing.

The power supply side terminal 1 has three copper bar gripping portions P1, P2, and P3 in the vertical direction so as to grip and connect copper bars (not shown) arranged in three layers of a single-phase three-wire electric circuit. The upper copper bar grip portion P1 is a neutral pole terminal, and the central and lower copper bar grip portions P2 and P3 are voltage pole terminals. Each power supply side terminal 1 has a U-shaped terminal fitting, and is formed as a plug-in type terminal that can be connected by simply inserting a conductor bar (not shown) arranged in a distribution board or the like. ing.

The load-side terminal 2 is composed of terminal holes L1, L2, L3 that are vertically arranged and into which electric wires are inserted, and terminal fittings 11 that are arranged in holders inside the terminal holes L1, L2, L3. An electric wire is inserted into two specific terminal holes of the two terminal holes L1, L2, and L3 for use. The three terminal holes L1, L2, and L3 are arranged in a row in the vertical direction on an inclined surface. The central terminal hole L2 is a neutral pole terminal hole, and the upper terminal hole L1 and the lower terminal hole L3 are voltage pole terminals. It is a hole. Each terminal fitting 11 is connected to a fixed contact.
The terminal metal fitting 11 is a metal fitting that forms a quick-connect terminal, and is a connection spring 11a that is electrically connected to the inserted electric wire and a retaining spring 11b that prevents the electric wire from coming off while being connected to the connection spring 11a. It is composed of and.
As a result, the electric wires inserted from the terminal holes L1, L2, and L3 are configured to be electrically connected without performing a connecting operation such as screwing.

A release lever 8 for releasing the stopper by the terminal fitting 11 when the electric wire is pulled out is provided on the upper portion of the circuit breaker housing 10 on the front surface side so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. Further, the slide body 13 that slides inside the circuit breaker housing 10 by the operation of the release lever 8, the rotating bodies 14, 14, etc. that rotate with the slide of the slide body 13 and press the terminal fitting 11 to release the retaining stopper, etc. Is arranged in the circuit breaker housing 10.

Here, the terminal metal fitting 11 and the release mechanism (release lever 8, slide body 13, and rotating body 14, 14 ...) for releasing the retaining function of the terminal metal fitting 11 will be described. The terminal fitting 11 is integrally formed with a connection spring 11a with which the inserted electric wire is in contact and a retaining spring 11b for preventing the wire from coming off while the electric wire is in contact with the connecting spring 11a.
The connecting spring 11a is formed to be curved in a substantially S shape, and the top thereof is a contact portion in contact with the electric wire. Then, the electric wire is inserted into the gap between the ceiling surface of the holder portion where the terminal metal fitting 11 is installed and the top portion of the connection spring 11a, and the top portion is pressed downward, so that the urging force is pushed up against the electric wire. Is configured to work and keep the wire and top in contact.

The retaining spring 11b is a plate-like body that is continuously raised from the lower end of the connecting spring 11a and arranged on the front surface side of the circuit breaker housing 10. This tip extends to substantially the same height as the top of the connecting spring 11a in the normal state (when the wire is not connected), and when the wire is brought into contact with the top of the connecting spring 11a, the tip of the retaining spring 11b bites into the wire. It is configured to exert an electric wire locking action and prevent the electric wire from coming off.

The release lever 8 is made of synthetic resin, and has a shaft portion 8a axially attached to the circuit breaker housing 10 at the base, a lever portion 8b extending from the shaft portion 8a to one side, and a slide body 13 described later on the other side. An engaging tongue piece 8c for sliding is formed. The lever portion 8b is exposed to the outside of the circuit breaker housing 10, and the lever portion 8b is rotated by an operator.
Then, with the engaging tongue piece 8c housed inside the circuit breaker housing 4, the release lever 8 is pivotally supported by the circuit breaker housing 10, and the release lever 8 is tilted forward until it becomes substantially horizontal. The engaging tongue piece 8c is located at the uppermost position, and when the release lever 7 is raised, the engaging tongue piece 8c moves downward as the release lever 7 is rotated.

The slide body 13 is a plate-shaped member made of synthetic resin that is long in the vertical direction, and is provided with three protrusions 13a, 13a ... On the side surface thereof that engage with the rotating body 14. The lower surface of each protrusion 13a abuts on the upper portion of the rotating body 14, and rotates the rotating body 14 as the slide body 13 slides. Further, the slide body 13 is formed with a pressed surface (contact surface) 13b in which the engaging tongue piece 8c of the release lever 8 is in contact with the upper end thereof and is pressed by the engaging tongue piece 8c.
The slide body 13 is slidably installed inside the breaker housing 10 adjacent to the terminal fitting 11 in an inclined direction parallel to the front surface of the breaker housing 10, and tilts the release lever 8 substantially horizontally. In this state, it is located in the non-operating position, which is the upper position, and when the release lever 8 is raised, the pressed surface 13b is pressed by the action of the engaging tongue piece 8c and slides downward to rotate the rotating body 14. ..

The rotating body 14 is a block body made of synthetic resin, is configured to be pivotally attached to the circuit breaker housing 10 side and rotate, and is arranged near the tip of the retaining spring 11b for each terminal fitting 11 to prevent the retaining spring 11b. It has a pressing portion 14a that engages with the tip of the.
As a result, the rotating body 14 engages with the sliding body 13 and rotates itself in response to the sliding motion of the sliding body 13, and the pressing portion 14a of the rotating body 14 presses the retaining spring 11b by the rotating motion and pulls out. The stop spring 11b is tilted toward the connecting spring 11a against the urging force.

The operation of the release lever 8 of the circuit breaker configured as described above will be specifically described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged explanatory view of the vicinity of the release lever 8 in a state where the release lever 8 is rotated, and when it is desired to pull out the electric wire, the release lever 8 is rotated in the upright direction as shown in FIG.
When the release lever 8 is rotated in the upright direction, the engaging tongue piece 8c moves downward and presses the pressed surface 13b of the slide body 13. As a result, the slide body 13 slides downward, and the rotating bodies 14, 14, ... Are rotated from the initial angle. By this rotational operation, the pressing portion 14a of the rotating body 14 presses the retaining spring 11b, and the retaining spring 11b is tilted toward the connecting spring 11a with the connecting portion with the connecting spring 11a as a fulcrum against the urging force.
In this way, the tip of the retaining spring 11b is released from biting into the electric wire, and the electric wire can be pulled out, and at the same time, the release lever 8 is stably maintained in this state at this angle.

When this action is viewed from the slide body 13, the pressed surface 13b of the slide body 13 is formed by an inclined surface having an angle shown in FIG. 3M. Then, when the release lever 8 is rotated in the upright direction, a straight line S from the tip of the engaging tongue piece 8c in contact with the slide body 13 to the shaft portion 8a becomes an inclined surface M which is an angle formed by the pressed surface 13b. The angles are orthogonal. That is, the straight line S becomes an action line that presses the slide body 13 as it is (the slide body 13 presses the release lever 8), and the release lever 8 does not generate a rotational moment and is stable in that state.

The action of the slide body 13 pressing the release lever 8 increases as the amount of downward slide of the slide body 13 increases due to the engaging action of the slid slide body 13 and the retaining spring 11b. Since this urging force mainly acts in the direction orthogonal to the inclined surface M, the release lever which is the direction of the straight line S when the pressed surface 13b (the inclined surface M) and the straight line S are substantially orthogonal to each other. Only the urging force is generated in the direction of the shaft portion 8a of 8, and there is no urging force in the direction of rotation. Therefore, the release lever 8 is stabilized at this angle.

After pulling out the electric wire, when the release lever 8 is returned to a substantially horizontal angle again, the rotating bodies 14, 14 ... Return to the initial rotation position due to the urging force of the retaining spring 11b, and the slide body 13 also returns. When the rotating bodies 14, 14 ... are returned, they are pushed up to the non-operating position.

In this way, when the release lever 8 is rotated in the upright direction to release the lock without assembling a separate member, that state is maintained. Therefore, the release is performed while the unlocked state is to be maintained as in the conventional case. There is no need to keep operating the lever 8, and it is easy to attach and detach the electric wire.
Then, the released state can be maintained with a simple structure in which the pressed surface 13b formed at a specific angle is provided on the slide body 13, no new member is required, and the conventional structure only needs to be slightly changed. ..

1 ... Power supply side terminal, 2 ... Load side terminal, 5 ... Operation handle, 8 ... Release lever, 8a ... Shaft, 8b ... Lever, 8c ... Engagement tongue piece, 10 ... Shut off Instrument housing, 11 ... Terminal fittings, 11a ... Connection spring, 11b ... Retaining spring, 13 ... Slide body, 13b ... Pressed surface (contact surface), 14 ... Rotating body, S ... Straight line (Line of action).

Claims (1)

By simply inserting an electric wire into the terminal hole provided in the circuit breaker housing, a plurality of quick-connect terminals electrically connected to the electric circuit provided inside the circuit breaker housing are arranged in a row, and the quick-connect terminals are arranged. It is a circuit breaker provided with a release mechanism for releasing the wire locking action by the terminal fittings arranged inside and a release lever for operating the release mechanism.
The release mechanism is installed in the vicinity of a slide body that slides in a direction parallel to the arrangement direction of the quick-connect terminals by the rotation operation of the release lever, and the terminal fittings, and is rotated by the slide of the slide body. It consists of a rotating body that presses a specific part of the terminal fitting to release the locking action on the electric wire.
The release lever includes a shaft portion pivotally attached to the circuit breaker housing, a lever portion exposed from the circuit breaker housing, and an engaging tongue that is arranged in the circuit breaker housing and abuts on an end portion of the slide body. Have a piece and
The engaging tongue piece presses and slides the slide body by the rotation operation of the release lever, and the rotating body is rotated by the slide to release the wire locking action of the terminal fitting. The contact surface of the slide body with the engaging tongue piece and the action line connecting the shaft portion and the portion of the engaging tongue piece that abuts with the slide body are in a substantially orthogonal state, and the release lever circuit breaker characterized that you angle is maintained.

Images