JPH09274842A - Earth leakage breaker with overturn detecting function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stop power supply to an equipment from the outside when the equipment is inclined at the predetermined angle or more by providing an inclination switch in an earth leakage breaker. SOLUTION: An operation test switch 3 is provided in an earth leakage breaker, and when the switch 3 is manually turned on, a part of the current bypasses a leakage detecting unit 2 through a resistor 31, and the condition the same as the case where a leakage is generated can be artificially generated. When a leakage is intentionally generated, a relay 24 is electrified, and a relay contact 23 is turned off. An inclination switch 1 is connected in parallel with the switch 3, and when the inclination switch 1 is inclined at the predetermined angle or more and turned off, the condition that a leakage is generated in the same way as the condition that the switch 3 is turned off is generated, and a relay contact 23 is turned off so as to stop the power supply to an equipment.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an earth leakage breaker which is interposed between an external power source and a device and shuts off the power supply from the power source to the device when a leakage occurs in the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a gas water heater installed on an outdoor wall or the like, electric power is supplied from an external power source (AC100V) for internal control and driving of an exhaust fan and the like. By the way, in such a device mounted outdoors, there is a possibility that electric leakage may occur in the gas water heater due to the influence of rain or the like. For this reason, an earth leakage breaker is provided between the external power source and the gas water heater, and if an electric leakage occurs in the gas water heater, the earth leakage breaker shuts off the power supply from the outside to the gas water heater. It is configured.

[0003]

By the way, the gas hot water supply apparatus as described above is not used by being placed on the floor like a gas stove, but is usually attached to the wall surface as described above, so that it is likely to fall. There is no. Therefore, the gas stove has a mechanism to detect the fall and stop the power supply to the gas stove in order to stop the operation of the gas stove when it falls, but such a mechanism is attached to the gas water heater. Has not been done.

By the way, even if the equipment is mounted on the wall surface, if the house collapses due to an earthquake or the like, the equipment may tilt or fall. For this reason, it is desirable to attach a mechanism for shutting off the power supply even when the equipment is mounted on the wall such as a gas water heater, when it falls. However, in order to add such a mechanism to the already installed gas hot water supply device or the like, it is necessary to drastically modify the equipment, and it is considered that the equipment must be replaced in many cases in reality.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an earth leakage breaker with a fall detection mechanism, which is capable of adding a mechanism for cutting off the power supply at the time of a fall without major modification to the equipment. And

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is provided between an external power source and a device, and shuts off the power supply from the power source to the device when a leakage occurs in the device. In an earth leakage breaker equipped with a power cutoff unit, the earth leakage breaker is attachable to a device, and has an inclination switch inside which operates when the posture of the earth leakage breaker is inclined by a predetermined angle or more. It is characterized in that the power interruption means is forcibly activated.

Since the electric leakage breaker originally has a built-in mechanism for cutting off the electric power supply, the electric power to the device can be supplied to the equipment at the time of the fall by simply providing the electric leakage breaker with a tilt switch that operates when tilted by a predetermined angle or more like at the time of the fall. The supply can be cut off. Further, with respect to the device already mounted on the wall surface or the like, it is only necessary to replace the earth leakage breaker with one having such a mechanism, and there is no need to modify the inside of the device.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a tilt switch, to which a plurality of tongue pieces 12 connected to one electrode 11 are attached so as to spread radially. The other electrode 13 is connected to a metal casing 14, and a steel ball 16 is fitted in a recess 15 formed in the bottom surface of the casing 14. In the posture shown in FIG. 1, the steel ball 16 is fitted and retained in the concave portion 15
6 and the tongue piece 12 do not come into contact with each other, but when the tilt switch 1 is tilted by a predetermined angle or more from the state shown in FIG. At this time, since the steel ball 16 is also in contact with the casing 14, the tongue piece 12 and the casing 14 are electrically connected via the steel ball 16, and the terminals 11 and 13 are electrically connected.

In the present invention, the tilt switch 1 shown in FIG. 1 is installed in the earth leakage breaker. The circuit configuration inside the earth leakage breaker in the attached state will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, 2 is an earth leakage detection unit,
Although not shown, it is composed of a zero-phase current transformer and an electronic circuit that outputs a signal from the terminal 26 based on the induced electromotive force generated in the zero-phase current transformer. The zero-phase current transformer is an induction coil that surrounds a pair of power supply lines 20 that connects an input terminal 21 to which an external power source is connected and an output terminal 22 to which the device is connected. If not, the induced electromotive forces generated in the zero-phase current transformers by the power supply lines 20 cancel each other out, and no electromotive force is generated in the zero-phase current transformer as a whole, but when leakage occurs, the current value flowing in each power supply line 20. And an electromotive force corresponding to the difference is induced in the zero-phase current transformer. It should be noted that the electronic circuit built in the leakage detection unit 2 shown in the figure is set so that the terminal 26 is set to be low when the leakage is not generated and is set to be high when the leakage is generated. In addition, a relay contact 23 that is opened and closed by a relay 24 is interposed in each of the two power supply lines 20, and the power cutoff unit is composed of the relay 24 and the relay contact 23.

Both relay contacts 23 are set to be turned on when the relay 24 is not energized and turned off when the relay 24 is energized. A thyristor 25 is connected in series to the relay 24. When the thyristor 25 is turned on, the relay 24 is energized, the relay contact 23 is turned off, and the power supply to the device is stopped. On the contrary, when the thyristor 25 is turned off, the power supply to the relay 24 is stopped, the relay contact 23 is turned on, and the electric power is supplied to the device. The thyristor 2
5 turns on when terminal 26 is high and turns off when terminal 26 is low. Therefore, the relay contact 23 is turned on in a state where there is no electric leakage in the device, but when the electric leakage occurs, the relay contact 23 is turned off and the power supply to the device is stopped.

By the way, the earth leakage breaker is provided with a switch 3 for an operation test. When the switch 3 is manually turned on, a part of the current bypasses the earth leakage detecting section 2 via the resistor 31, and the earth leakage occurs. You can artificially create the same state as it did. When the electric leakage is artificially generated, the relay 24 is energized and the relay contact 23 is turned off. In this embodiment, the tilt switch 1 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the switch 3 in parallel. As a result, when the tilt switch 1 is tilted by a predetermined angle or more and is turned on, the same state as that when the switch 3 is turned on is the same as that when an electric leakage occurs, and the relay contact 23 is turned off to supply power to the device. Is stopped. The earth leakage breaker is attached to the equipment, and by installing the tilt switch 1 in the earth leakage breaker, when the equipment is inclined by a predetermined angle, the power supply to the equipment is stopped as described above.

In the case of the present embodiment, the tilt switch 1 is normally mounted in an off state and turned on when tilted by a predetermined angle or more. You may attach so that it may turn off when inclining more than an angle. When so mounted, as shown in FIG. 3, a transistor 4 is connected in parallel to the switch 3 and the base of the transistor 4 is grounded via a tilt switch 10 mounted so that it is normally on. . With such a configuration, the transistor 4 is off when the tilt switch 10 is on, but when the tilt switch 10 tilts and turns off, the transistor 4 turns on, and the transistor 4 is turned on similarly to that shown in FIG. Power supply is stopped.

2 and 3 are both in the same state as in the case where an electric leakage is artificially generated, and the leakage detecting unit 2
However, the thyristor 25 connected in series to the relay 24 may be configured to be turned on / off regardless of the output signal of the leakage detection unit 2. For example, in the one shown in FIG.
The two transistors 5 and the tilt switch 10 were connected in series between and the terminal 26 of the leakage detection unit 2. However, the tilt switch 10 is mounted so as to be turned on in a normal state like the one shown in FIG. In the state where the tilt switch 10 is not tilted and the electric leakage is not generated, the transistor 5 is turned off, so that the thyristor 25 is turned off and the relay 24 is not energized and the relay contact 23
Keeps on. When electric leakage occurs in this state, the base of the transistor 5 becomes high, so that the transistor 5 is turned on. Then, the thyristor 25 is turned on. Alternatively, when the tilt switch 10 is tilted by a predetermined angle or more and turned off, the base of the transistor 5 becomes high, which is the same state as in the case where the above-mentioned leakage occurs. Therefore, also in this case, the relay contact 23 is turned off and the power supply to the device is stopped.

[0014]

As is clear from the above description, the present invention can be applied to a device already mounted on a wall surface, etc.
By simply exchanging the earth leakage breaker without modifying the device, it is possible to stop the power supply to the device from the outside when the device is tilted by a predetermined angle or more as in the case where the house is collapsed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of a tilt switch.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Tilt switch (normally open type) 2 Leakage detector 10 Tilt switch (normally closed type) 24 Relay

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 9, 1996

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[Figure 3]

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 4

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FIG. 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An intermediary between an external power source and a device,
In an earth leakage breaker equipped with an electric power interruption means for interrupting the electric power supply from the power source to the equipment when an electric leakage occurs in the equipment,
The earth leakage breaker is attachable to a device, has an inclination switch inside which operates when the posture of the earth leakage breaker inclines by a predetermined angle or more, and forcibly activates the power interruption means by the operation of the inclination switch. An earth leakage breaker with a fall detection mechanism.