JPH0887946A - Alarm device for circuit breaker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a stable lock and reset operation by providing an energizing spring of applying pressing force to a push button of a switch and an insulating operating lever, built in a case in cooperation with each other, and actuating the alarm switch following movement of a movable contact piece according to pole opening operation of a breaker. CONSTITUTION: In an ordinary opening/closing operation, in a movable contactor holder 6, a stepped part 63 in the rear end is engaged with a latch pin 7, and with this engaging point serving as a support point, the holder 6 is swiveled in an opening/ closing position, to on/off operate a breaker. In an on/off position, an actuator 3 of an alarm switch 2 receives not a lock of an operating lever 5 but force of an energizing spring 4, and a side surface of a supporting part 31 is pressed to a root 14a of a shaft hole 14, to press a push botton 21 of the switch 2, so as to lock an automatic reset contact 23 to an inverting position. On the other hand, when the circuit breaker is placed in an overcurrent acting trip condition, the stepped part 63 of the holder 6 is disengaged from the latch pin 7, to press down a point end of the operating lever 5 by a dog 61, to press up the actruator 3 by the other point end part 52, and a movable contact of the push button 21 of the switch is automatically reset, to output an alarm signal.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an alarm device which is incorporated in a main body of a circuit breaker and detects an overcurrent trip operation of the circuit breaker and outputs an auxiliary signal to the outside.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A circuit breaker in which the above-mentioned alarm device is incorporated is known from Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-137048. Also, as a circuit breaker equipped with an alarm device, the opening / closing operation handle of the circuit breaker is stopped at an intermediate position between the ON position and the OFF position during an overcurrent trip operation (trip), and the tripping state and manual operation are performed from the operation handle position. A circuit breaker having a circuit breaker opening / closing mechanism that can visually distinguish the OFF state by operation is proposed by the same applicant as the present invention in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-123614. In this circuit breaker, the position of the swing fulcrum of the movable contact holder (the rear end of the holder, the latch pin and the engagement point) that swings from the closed to the open position when the toggle link mechanism collapses is determined by the operation handle. It is configured to be moved to a different position during normal ON / OFF operation and overcurrent trip.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above-mentioned conventional circuit breaker alarm device, an actuator of a push button switch incorporated in the alarm device is incorporated into the circuit breaker body via an engagement lever for locking to prevent overcurrent pulling. The actuator is configured to be held in a locked state by being connected to a pulling lever of the removing device and by engaging and connecting all of the engaging claws with each other. For this reason, if there is a variation in the overlapping margin between the engaging claws that is involved in the dimensional accuracy and assembly accuracy of each component, the engagement state may become unstable and the alarm switch may malfunction.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points. As an alarm device used in combination with a circuit breaker, stable alarm switch lock and reset operations can be obtained, and the structure and assembly are simple. The purpose is to provide an alarm device.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the alarm device of the present invention is constructed as follows. (1) Push-button type alarm switch having a built-in automatic return contact, an actuator arranged to face the push button of the switch, an urging spring for applying a pressing force to the push button of the switch via the actuator, and one end And an operating lever facing the actuator, and the other end facing the dog formed at the end of the movable contact holder, which is a component of the circuit breaker opening / closing mechanism, are incorporated in the unit case in a circuit breaker. The alarm switch is operated in accordance with the movement of the movable contact holder associated with the overcurrent trip operation.

(2) A push button type alarm switch having a built-in automatic return contact, an actuator arranged opposite to the push button of the switch, and an urging spring for applying a pressing force to the push button of the switch via the actuator. , An operating lever made of an insulator, one end of which faces the actuator and the other end of which faces the movable contact piece of the circuit breaker, is incorporated into the unit case in association with each other, and an opening including an overcurrent trip of the circuit breaker The alarm switch is operated according to the movement of the movable contact piece associated with the polar operation.

(3) In the structure of the above item (2), a play gap is set between the movable contact piece and the operating lever facing the movable contact piece so as to separate the movable contact piece in the closed state of the circuit breaker. (4) In the configurations of (1) to (3) above, the unit case is made of a resin molded product, and the alarm switch, the actuator, the operating lever, and the biasing spring are held at predetermined positions in the unit case. The support part is integrally formed.

(5) In the structures of the above (1) to (4), the actuator is C-shaped, and has a supporting portion serving as a rotation fulcrum at the center thereof, and the supporting portion is inserted into the unit case. The fan-shaped shaft hole is formed, and the support portion is pressed against the root of the fan-shaped shaft hole by the spring force of the biasing spring.

[0009]

According to the constitution (1) among the above constitutions,
In the normal circuit breaker ON / OFF operation state other than the trip operation due to overcurrent trip, the tip of the operation lever is separated from the dog formed at the end of the movable contact holder on the circuit breaker side. Therefore, the actuator of the alarm switch is held at the lock position without being restrained by the operation lever, while the push button of the switch is being pressed by the spring force of the biasing spring. On the other hand, when the circuit breaker overcurrent trips, the movable contact holder changes its fulcrum position and oscillates due to the collapse of the toggle link mechanism, which is the switching mechanism of the circuit breaker. A dog formed at the rear end of the holder hits the operating lever (the operation of the movable contact holder at the time of tripping overcurrent is described in detail in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 5-123614). ). As a result, the actuator retracts from the push button of the alarm switch against the biasing spring, so that the movable contact (automatic reset contact) of the alarm switch returns and closes the contact (contact leading to the alarm display circuit). An auxiliary signal as an alarm signal is output to the outside through. If the breaker is reset (the operating handle is switched to the ON position) after the overcurrent trip operation, the initial state is restored again.

Further, according to the configurations of (2) and (3), the operating lever is in the free state when the circuit breaker is in the open (ON) state, and therefore the actuator of the alarm switch is restrained by the operating lever. Instead, the push button of the switch is held in the locked position by the spring force of the biasing spring. On the other hand, when the circuit breaker opens, including overcurrent tripping, the movable contact piece strikes the tip of the operating lever, which causes the actuator to return to the alarm switch via the actuator as in item (1). Outputs an auxiliary signal to the outside through a switch.

In this case, the operating lever made of an insulating material insulates the filling portion of the main circuit from the alarm switch circuit.
Moreover, when the circuit breaker is in the closed state, the operating lever and the movable contact piece are separated by a play gap, so that the heat generated by the contact piece due to energization does not transfer to the operation lever, and therefore the operation is performed. In addition to preventing the alarm switch from malfunctioning due to thermal deformation of the lever, the spring force of the biasing spring against this alarm switch may act on the open / close link mechanism of the circuit breaker as a reaction force that interferes with the handle operation. Since there is no such thing, it is not necessary to apply extra force when the circuit breaker is closed and opened by manual handle operation, and handle operation can be performed easily.

The alarm device is attached as an option to the main body of the circuit breaker, and the operating lever is either one described in (1) or (2) depending on the user's request. It can be adopted selectively.

Further, according to the configuration (5), the supporting portion of the actuator configured as the swing member is pressed against the root of the fan of the fan-shaped shaft hole formed in the unit case by the biasing spring. The center of the rotation or swing of the actuator does not move, and the pressing operation of the push button of the alarm switch is always stable.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b) and 2 show the structure of a corresponding embodiment of claims 1 and 4 of the present invention and the alarm operation.

First, the assembly structure of the alarm device will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a unit case of the alarm device, and a base unit 11 of the unit case 1 has an alarm switch 2, an actuator 3, and a layout as shown in the drawing.
The urging spring 4 and the operating lever 5 are incorporated together. Here, the unit case 1 is made as a resin molded product, and a support member is integrally formed on the base portion 11 of the case as described later so as to hold each of the above components at a predetermined position. In addition, 12 is an external connection terminal.

Further, the alarm switch 2 is a push button type switch having a built-in automatic return contact and is provided with a push button 21 on the front surface thereof, and a hole 22 drilled in the main body case of the switch is formed in the base portion 11 of the unit case 1. It is inserted into the shaft 13 and held. Further, the actuator 3 is bent in a C-shape as a whole, and is positioned in front of the push button 21 of the alarm switch 2 and has a support portion 31 formed by bending the central portion of the actuator in a U-shape. It is inserted into a fan-shaped shaft hole 14 opened in the base portion 11 and is swingably supported. In this supported state, the biasing spring 4 as a compression spring is stretched between one end of the actuator 3 and the spring receiving protrusion 15 formed on the base 11. The orientation of the shaft hole is set so that the support portion 31 is pressed against the root 14a of the fan in the fan-shaped shaft hole 14 during this stretching. Further, the operation lever 5 is a bifurcated lever, and the shaft hole 51 formed at the center thereof is inserted into the shaft portion 16 formed in the base portion 11 of the unit case 1 so as to be swingably supported. The one end 52 faces the tip of the actuator 3 (the tip on the side opposite to the receiving surface of the biasing spring 4), and the other end 53 projects rearward from the base 11 of the unit 1.

Such an alarm device is prepared as an optional item, and is used by incorporating it into a circuit breaker if necessary. FIG. 1 shows a state in which an alarm device is incorporated in a circuit breaker. In the figure, 6 is a movable contact holder incorporated in the circuit breaker, 7 is a latch pin, and the alarm device unit is as described above. The unit case 1 is mounted on the circuit breaker body by positioning the end 53 of the operation lever 5 protruding from the case 1 so as to face the dog 61 formed by bending the rear end of the movable contact holder 6. In addition,
Reference numeral 62 is a link connecting between a handle (not shown) for opening and closing the circuit breaker and the holder 6. The operation of the circuit breaker opening / closing mechanism including the operation handle, the holder 6, the link 62, and the latch pin 7 is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-123614 filed before the same applicant as the present invention. Are listed in.

Next, the operation of the alarm device having the above construction will be described with reference to FIG.
(A) and (b) will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1A, in a normal opening / closing operation by a handle operation other than when an overcurrent is tripped, the stepped portion 63 at the rear end of the movable contact holder 6 is engaged with the latch pin 7. , The holder 6 swings to the open / close position with the engagement point serving as a fulcrum, and the circuit breaker turns O.
N, OFF. Further, at the ON / OFF positions of the circuit breaker, the dog 61 formed at the rear end of the holder 6 is held at a position separated from the tip end portion 53 of the operation lever 5 incorporated in the alarm device, and the actuator 3 of the alarm switch 2 is held.
Is not restricted by the operating lever 5. Therefore, the actuator 3 receives the spring force of the biasing spring 4, and one side surface of the supporting portion 31 of the actuator 3 has a fan-shaped shaft hole 1
The push button 21 of the alarm switch 2 is pressed by being pressed against the base 14a of No. 4 and the automatic return contact (contact b) 23 built in the switch 2 is locked at the reverse position (alarm signal OFF).

On the other hand, when an overcurrent of the main circuit is detected and the circuit breaker trips the overcurrent trip operation,
As shown in (b), the stepped portion 63 of the movable contact holder 6
Is disengaged from the latch pin 7, and the holder 6 is connected to the link 62.
The dog 61 formed on the holder 6 pushes down the tip portion 53 of the operating lever 5 of the alarm device in accordance with this movement, and swings the lever clockwise. As a result, the other tip portion 52 of the operating lever 5 pushes up the actuator 3 and swings it counterclockwise so as to separate it from the push button 21 of the alarm switch 2 against the biasing spring 4. At this time,
The actuator 3 rotates about the root 14a of the shaft hole 14 as a fulcrum while one side surface of the support portion 31 is pressed against the root 14a of the fan-shaped shaft hole 14. As a result, the movable contact 23 of the alarm switch 2 which has been locked in the reverse position until now is automatically restored and switched as shown in the figure, and an alarm signal is output to the outside. Then, the alarm signal is turned on by this alarm signal to notify that the circuit breaker is in a trip state. When the circuit breaker is reset to the ON position by operating the handle after the overcurrent tripping operation, the movable contact holder 6 returns to the state shown in FIG. 1A, so that the operation lever 5 can be released from the constraint. The alarm switch 2 again operates to reverse and the alarm signal disappears.

Embodiment 2 FIGS. 3 and 4 show an application embodiment corresponding to claims 2, 3 and 4 of the present invention. That is, in the first embodiment, the alarm switch outputs the alarm signal only during the overcurrent tripping operation, whereas in this embodiment, only a part of the alarm unit is replaced, and When tripping due to current trip and opening operation due to steering wheel operation, the contact of the alarm switch is switched to output an auxiliary signal for notifying the opening to the outside.

Therefore, in this embodiment, only the shape of the operating lever 5 is different from that of the first embodiment, and the configurations of the alarm unit and the circuit breaker other than this are the same as those of the first embodiment. . That is, in this embodiment, the operation lever 5 made of a resin-molded insulator has one end facing the tip of the actuator 3 as in the first embodiment, while the other end is a movable contactor. A protrusion 54 that extends to the vicinity of the movable contact piece 8 attached to the holder 6 and is bent and formed at the tip of the extended portion faces the plate surface of the movable contact piece 8 opposite to the movable contact 8a. In addition, 9 is a movable contact 8a
The fixed contacts 10 facing each other are open / close springs incorporated in an open / close mechanism (toggle link mechanism). A play gap g is set between the tip projection 54 of the operation lever 5 and the movable contact piece 8 so that both parts are separated from each other in the closed state of FIG. .

With this structure, the circuit breaker is closed (ON).
If so, the operating lever 5 becomes free as shown in FIG. 1A, and the automatic return contact 23 of the alarm switch 2 is moved to the reverse position by the spring force of the biasing spring 4 as described in the first embodiment. It's locked. Further, since the operating lever 5 is separated from the movable contact piece 8, heat generated by circuit energization is not transferred to the operating lever 5, and the spring force of the biasing spring 4 is applied to the movable contact piece 8. It does not work either.

On the other hand, when the circuit breaker is opened by tripping by operating the handle or tripping an overcurrent, the movable contact piece 8 moves to the position shown in FIG. In the process, the movable contact piece 8 moves the operating lever 5
Hit the tip protrusion 54 of the. As a result, the operating lever 8 swings clockwise and pushes up the actuator 3 to restore the movable contact 23 of the alarm switch 2 and
By switching this contact, an auxiliary signal that informs the circuit breaker opening is output to the outside. In this state, the operating lever 5 made of an insulating material insulates the charging portion of the main circuit from the circuit of the alarm switch 2. Further, when the circuit breaker is reset to the closed position by operating the handle, the movable contact piece 8 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
However, in the first half of this closing operation, the spring force of the biasing spring 4 acts in the direction of assisting the closing operation, and in the latter half, the tip of the operating lever 5 separates from the movable contact piece 8. , It can be operated easily without the need to apply extra force to the operating handle.

If the operation lever 5 in this embodiment is replaced with the parts of the operation lever having the shape described in the first embodiment, the alarm switch 2 operates so as to output the alarm signal only during the overcurrent trip operation.

[0025]

As described above, according to the structure of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The alarm device is configured by combining a push-button alarm switch, an actuator, a biasing spring of the actuator, and an operating lever for releasing the lock, and the tip of the operating lever is a circuit breaker at a position where the operating lever is installed. Of the circuit breaker overcurrent tripping or overcurrent tripping, and the operation of the circuit breaker opening / closing mechanism at the time of contact opening by facing the dog formed on the movable contactor holder or the movable contact piece. In addition to the operation lever, the alarm switch contacts are restored from the locked state, so compared to the conventional structure that operates the alarm switch to the return position by locking the lever's claws, it depends on the dimensions and assembly accuracy of parts. The impact is small, and the alarm switch locks and returns in a stable manner, improving reliability.

(2) By incorporating all the parts of the alarm device into a unit case to form a unit, the alarm device prepared as an optional product can be used as needed without changing the structure of the circuit breaker. It can be easily incorporated into the circuit breaker body.

(3) A fan-shaped shaft hole is formed in the unit case, and the support portion that forms the center of rotation or swing of the actuator configured as the swing member is inserted into this shaft hole.
Since the spring force of the biasing spring is pressed against the root of the fan of the fan-shaped shaft hole, the operation of the alarm switch is always performed stably without moving the swing center, and the effect of the above (1) is obtained. Is reinforced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration and an operation of an embodiment corresponding to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, in which (a) is a view showing a state during a normal circuit breaker opening / closing operation, and (b) is a circuit breaker fault. Diagram showing the operating state of the alarm device linked to the current tripping operation

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an assembly structure of the alarm device in FIG.

3A and 3B are explanatory views of a configuration and an operation of an embodiment corresponding to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a state during a normal circuit breaker opening / closing operation, and FIG. Diagram showing the operating state of the alarm device linked to the current tripping operation

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an assembly structure of the alarm device in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Unit Case 2 Alarm Switch 21 Push Button 23 Automatic Return Contact 3 Actuator 4 Energizing Spring 5 Operating Lever 6 Movable Contact Holder 61 61 Dog 7 Latch Pin 8 Movable Contact Piece 10 Open / Close Spring 14 Shaft Hole 31 Support

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An alarm device for a circuit breaker mounted on a main body of the circuit breaker, which detects an overcurrent trip operation of the circuit breaker and outputs an auxiliary signal, wherein the push button has a built-in automatic return contact. Type alarm switch, an actuator arranged to face the push button of the switch, an urging spring that applies a pushing force to the push button of the switch via the actuator, one end facing the actuator, and the other end cut off. The movable contactor, which is a component of the switchgear opening / closing mechanism, is incorporated into the unit case in cooperation with the operating lever facing the dog formed at the end of the movable contactor holder, and the movable contactor associated with the overcurrent trip operation of the circuit breaker. An alarm device for a circuit breaker, characterized in that the alarm switch is operated in accordance with the movement of the holder. 2. An alarm device for a circuit breaker, which is mounted on a main body of the circuit breaker and outputs an auxiliary signal by catching an opening operation including an overcurrent trip of the circuit breaker, wherein an automatic reset contact is provided. A built-in push button type alarm switch, an actuator arranged to face the push button of the switch, an urging spring that applies a pressing force to the push button of the switch via the actuator, and one end of which faces the actuator, A movable contact piece associated with an opening operation including an overcurrent trip of a circuit breaker, which is incorporated into a unit case in cooperation with an operating lever made of an insulator, the other end of which is opposed to a movable contact piece of a circuit breaker. A circuit breaker alarm device characterized in that the alarm switch is operated in accordance with the movement of the circuit breaker. 3. The alarm device according to claim 2, wherein a play gap is provided between the movable contact piece and the operating lever facing the movable contact piece so as to separate the movable contact piece in the closed state of the circuit breaker. Alarm device for circuit breaker. 4. The alarm device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the unit case is a resin molded product, and the alarm switch, the actuator, the operating lever, and the biasing spring are held at predetermined positions in the unit case. An alarm device for a circuit breaker, which is characterized in that the supporting portion is integrally molded. 5. The alarm device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the actuator is C-shaped, has a supporting portion serving as a rotation fulcrum in a central portion thereof, and the unit case is
It has a fan-shaped shaft hole into which the support part is inserted, and the support part is pressed against the root of the fan of the fan-shaped shaft hole by the force of a biasing spring that applies a pressing force to a push button of an alarm switch via an actuator. An alarm device for a circuit breaker characterized by being provided.