JPS6035159Y2 - Earth leakage breaker - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] The present invention relates to an improvement of an earth leakage breaker.

In conventional earth leakage breakers, a load terminal and a power supply terminal are usually connected to a load circuit and a power supply through a cord using a terminal screw.

However, if each connection is made using terminal screws as described above, the connection work is complicated, and if the screws are not tightened enough, there is a risk that the cord may come off.

In particular, earth leakage breakers are mainly used to detect leakage in general home appliances such as electric washing machines and freezers, and since the power terminals of general home appliances are usually in the form of plugs, the terminal screws are used as shown above. In this method, it is necessary to take the trouble to disassemble the plug of the cord, and the connection work is even more troublesome when a single earth leakage breaker is used to detect earth leakage from multiple electrical appliances.

Furthermore, in the case of the above-mentioned method of connecting the cords with terminal screws, a terminal cover must be separately attached, which causes the problem that the external size of the earth leakage breaker increases accordingly.

The present invention was made in view of the above problems, and the load terminal is a socket terminal that allows the plug of the load circuit to be inserted from two directions, and the power terminal is a plug that can be freely inserted into the power outlet. It is an object of the present invention to provide an earth leakage breaker that makes connection work simple and reliable, has a compact structure, and allows easy integration of load terminals into the breaker body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, which are one embodiment.

Figures 1 to 7 show the earth leakage breaker, 1 is a case integrally molded from synthetic resin, 6 is a cover, 7 is an operation knob,
16 is an electromagnet, and 18 is a zero-phase current transformer.

The operating knob 7, which is an example of an operating member, has its central axis 7a held by a frame 8, and the axis 7 is held by a return spring 9.
It is always biased clockwise around point a.

Further, one end of a U-shaped arm 10 constituting a link mechanism is rotatably attached to the eccentric position of the operating knob 7, and the other end of this arm 10 is rotatably attached to the length i8a of the frame 8.
A lever 11 that can be lowered along is pivotally supported.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a sliding plate that can move up and down along a vertical groove 1a provided in the case 1. This sliding plate 12 is pushed upward by a movable piece 13 that is urged upward by a return spring 14, and the frame The position is regulated by a protrusion 8b of 8.

The movable piece 13 has a movable contact 13a at its tip, and its base end 13b is supported by the support part 2 of the case 1 so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle. A lead wire 18a is connected.

Reference numeral 15 designates a pair of load terminals, which are socket terminals, which are punched out into a predetermined shape as shown in Fig. 4, and then bent at the dotted line position in the figure to form an insert that allows insertion of the plug P from two different directions. The fitting parts 15a and 15b are provided above and below (see Fig. 5).
.

That is, bend it at right angles in one direction along the dashed line A, bend it at a predetermined angle (for example, 45 degrees) at the dashed line B so that they are opposite to each other, bend it in the opposite direction along the dashed line C, and then fold both ends at the dashed line. Bend in the direction of separation to form the upper insertion part 15a,
The lower insertion portion 15b is similarly configured.

The load terminal 15 configured as described above is fitted and attached to the recess 3 at the end of the case 1.

That is, the side portion 15c of the load terminal 15 is connected to the side surface 3 of the recess 3.
a, and the lower surface 15d of the load terminal 15, 1
5e are in contact with the steps 3b and 3c of the recess 3, respectively, and when the cover 6 is attached, the mouth edge 6a of the cover 6 is in contact with the upper end of the load terminal 15 to prevent it from being pulled out upwards. The load terminal 15 is fixed without wobbling, and there is no fear that the load terminal 15 will be deformed even if the plug P is inserted roughly.

Note that 4, 4 is an insertion portion for the plug P, and 5 is an opening for insertion of the lead wire 18b of the zero-phase current transformer 18.

The electromagnet 16 is fixed to a support plate 8C integral with the frame 8, and the armature 17 is also pivotally supported by the frame 8 and is always urged counterclockwise by a return spring (not shown).

A protrusion 17a is formed on the back surface of this armature 17, and this protrusion 17a can be engaged with one end of the lever 11.

In addition, 19 is a mounting screw between the case 1 and the cover 6, 20 is a plug-shaped power terminal having a fixed contact 20a,
This power terminal 20 protrudes from the inner surface of the case 1.

Here, the operation of the earth leakage breaker having the above configuration will be explained.

First, plug the power terminal 1 into a power outlet (not shown), attach the earth leakage breaker to the power outlet, and turn the operating knob 7 in the state shown in FIG. 1 counterclockwise against the biasing force of the return spring 9. When this happens, the lever 11 is pushed down via the arm 10.

Along with this, the sliding plate 12 that engages with the lever 11 is also pushed down, and the movable piece 13 rotates counterclockwise using the support part 2 as a fulcrum against the biasing force of the return spring 14, and descends slightly. do.

Then, when one end of the lever 11 engages with the protrusion 17a of the armature 17 and stops descending, the movable contact 13a of the movable piece 13 contacts the contact 20a of the power supply terminal 20, and the circuit is turned on (the first (See Figures 2 and 3).

Next, when a leakage occurs in the load circuit connected to the load terminal 15 via the plug P, the electromagnet 16 is excited by the action of the zero-phase current transformer 18, and the armature 17
It is attracted by and rotates clockwise.

As a result, the lever 11 is moved to the protrusion 17a of the armature 17.
In order to release the pressing force that had been pushing down the sliding plate 12 and the movable piece 13 against the return spring 14, the contacts 13av20a open and the circuit is instantly interrupted.

Thereafter, the operating knob 7 is rotated clockwise by the return spring 9, and accordingly, the lever 1 is rotated via the arm 10.
1 rises and returns to the state shown in FIG.

In general, earth leakage breakers are often used to detect earth leakage in general home appliances such as electric washing machines.Since the terminals of this type of household appliances are generally plugs, this plug is used to detect the earth leakage as described above. It can be plugged directly into the load terminal of the breaker, which is extremely convenient.

Furthermore, since the power terminal of the earth leakage breaker is in the form of a plug, it can be electrically connected by directly plugging it into a power outlet, saving the trouble of connection work.

In particular, in the case of this type of earth leakage breaker with a plug that plugs the power terminal directly into the power outlet, the larger the earth leakage breaker itself, the greater the risk of it falling off from the power outlet, so it should be made as small as possible. This is desirable.

However, in an earth leakage breaker, the opening/closing mechanism, tripping mechanism (including electromagnet), zero-phase current transformer, load terminal, etc. are arranged in the longitudinal direction, so if the load terminal is a flat socket terminal, the It becomes large.

Therefore, in the present invention, the earth leakage breaker can be made compact, and in particular, the space in the longitudinal direction can be reduced by using the load terminal as a socket terminal whose insertion part is placed in the upper and lower positions.

As is clear from the above explanation, the present invention uses socket terminals for the load terminals into which plugs can be inserted from two different directions, and the power supply terminals are shaped like plugs, thereby making it possible to connect the breaker to the load circuit and power source. This is extremely simple and reliable, and allows multiple electrical appliances to be connected at once.

Furthermore, since the load terminals are fitted into the case and prevented from being removed when the cover is attached, the load terminals are easily and reliably fixed within the case and have good insulation from other parts.

Furthermore, since the plug insertion portions of the load terminals are provided at the upper and lower positions, the earth leakage breaker can be constructed compactly as a whole, and is of extremely high practical value as an earth leakage breaker with a plug outlet.

Note that if the load terminals are punched out as in the above example (Fig. 4), the bending work of the load terminals will be easy, and the looseness will be prevented when the load terminals are inserted into the case, making it easier to connect them to the plug. No wobbling when inserting or removing.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views of the earth leakage breaker when it is off and on, respectively, Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a front view of the load terminal in its punched state, and Figure 5 is A perspective view of the load terminal, FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the earth leakage breaker. 1...Case, 3...Recess, 4...
...Insertion section, 6...Cover, 7...
Operation knob, 15...Load terminal, 15a, 15
b...Insertion part, 20...Power terminal.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a ground leakage breaker, an operating member protrudes from the front of the cover, and when a current leak occurs in the circuit, it is detected by a zero-phase current transformer, activates an electromagnet, and separates the movable piece from the fixed contact to cut off the power supply to the circuit. The load terminals are socket terminals with insertion parts located on the same plane as the protruding surface of the operating member and on a plane perpendicular to the protruding surface thereof, respectively, and the socket terminals are provided with recesses into which the socket terminals can be fitted in at least one of the case and the cover. a plug insertion portion communicating with the recess is provided, the socket terminal is inserted into the recess, and when the case and the cover are attached, one of them prevents the socket terminal from being removed; An earth leakage breaker characterized in that the power terminal is in the shape of a plug that can be inserted into a power outlet and protrudes from the inner surface of the case.