Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • H01H71/00—Details of the protective switches or relays covered by groups H01H73/00 - H01H83/00
  • H01H71/04—Means for indicating condition of the switching device
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • H01H71/00—Details of the protective switches or relays covered by groups H01H73/00 - H01H83/00
  • H01H71/10—Operating or release mechanisms
  • H01H71/1009—Interconnected mechanisms
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • H01H71/00—Details of the protective switches or relays covered by groups H01H73/00 - H01H83/00
  • H01H71/10—Operating or release mechanisms
  • H01H71/50—Manual reset mechanisms which may be also used for manual release
  • H01H71/501—Means for breaking welded contacts; Indicating contact welding or other malfunction of the circuit breaker
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • H01H73/00—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches in which excess current opens the contacts by automatic release of mechanical energy stored by previous operation of a hand reset mechanism
  • H01H73/02—Details
  • H01H73/04—Contacts
  • H01H73/045—Bridging contacts

Definitions

• the invention relates, in general, to the field of electrical cut-off and power protection.
• the invention relates to an electrical current cut-off device, such as a disconnector switch, comprising a housing, two fixed contacts carried by the housing, a movable contact selectively applied to the fixed contacts, an arming mechanism, including an actuator to move selectively the movable contact to the fixed contacts, and tripping means for selectively disengage the movable contact from the fixed contacts.
• a disconnector switch comprising a housing, two fixed contacts carried by the housing, a movable contact selectively applied to the fixed contacts, an arming mechanism, including an actuator to move selectively the movable contact to the fixed contacts, and tripping means for selectively disengage the movable contact from the fixed contacts.
• Such a device can, by construction, take several states, which depend in principle exclusively on the state of the actuator and on the state of the triggering means.
• the invention is based on the discovery of the fact that this device could take a state also depending on the position of the movable contact, the latter being able indeed to remain accidentally stuck on the fixed contacts, even after triggering of the triggering means.
• the invention which is situated in this context, mainly aims to provide a power cut device with means for identifying its state by discriminating it from other states it is likely to adopt.
• the invention makes it possible to identify each of the states that this device is likely to adopt.
• the device of the invention is essentially characterized in that the actuator comprises a lever pivotally mounted on the housing and provided with a hub, part of which is visible from the outside of the housing, an eccentric integral with the lever, and a connecting rod moved by the eccentric, in that the arming mechanism comprises, in addition to the actuator, a driving slide bearing the movable and biased contact in a first direction by a first elastic force, in that the lever, pivotally moved from a rest position to an engagement position and acting by means of the connecting rod placed in an engaged configuration, selectively moves the sliding slide with respect to the housing from an inactive position to an active position in a second direction opposite to the first say ction and along a first axis passing between the two fixed contacts, the slide reaching its active position in the position of engagement of the lever, and in that the visible part of the hub of the lever carries a first indicator light state, itself visible from the outside of the housing in the rest position of the lever and hidden by the housing in any
• the device of the invention may also include a mobile status indicator, adopting a position linked to the position of the slide, and carrying a second status indicator masked by the housing in the inactive position of the slide, and visible from the outside the housing in any position of the slide between its intermediate position and its active position.
• a mobile status indicator adopting a position linked to the position of the slide, and carrying a second status indicator masked by the housing in the inactive position of the slide, and visible from the outside the housing in any position of the slide between its intermediate position and its active position.
• This mobile status indicator can advantageously also carry a third status indicator visible from the outside of the housing in the inactive position of the slider, and masked by the housing in any position of the slider comprised between its intermediate position and its active position.
• the housing and the third status indicator are for example of the same color, while the first status indicator, the second status indicator, and the housing are all three of different colors.
• the invention is particularly useful in the case where the handle has a coupling means, the device of the invention taking the form of a module selectively associated with at least one other equivalent module and the handles of the associated modules being coupled together. to the others by at least one of the coupling means and all adopting the same position.
• a first end of the connecting rod can be articulated on the eccentric while a second end of the connecting rod is selectively held, in the engaged configuration of the connecting rod, in an eye defined in an elongated lumen of the slide.
• the triggering means comprise for example a transmission mechanism and a tilting lever lock, this lock being mounted on the slide and comprising a first tilting lever selectively controlled by the transmission mechanism to disengage the slide from the actuator. by placing the connecting rod in a disengaged configuration, in which the second end of this connecting rod is released from the eye and slides freely in the elongated lumen of the slide.
• the movable contact is carried with freedom of sliding by the slider and urged, relative to the slider, by a second elastic force exerted in the second direction, this movable contact being, in the active position of the slider, applied by the second elastic force on the fixed contacts, and being, in the inactive position of the slide, applied by the second elastic force on a stop of the slide and released from the fixed contacts.
• the tilting lever lock selectively adopts a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, and that, in the locked configuration, the first lever is, under the effect of a third elastic force, in a first relative position of rotation with respect to the slide in which this first lever selectively defines the engaged configuration of the connecting rod by holding the second end of this connecting rod in the eye, this eye being delimited on one side by a cutout of this first lever and on the other hand by a first slope formed by a first end of the light of the slide and having a non-zero inclination relative to the first axis.
• the first lever is then placed, by the transmission mechanism acting against the third elastic force, in a second relative position of rotation relative to the slide, in which the eye is opened by relative distance cutting the first lever and the first slope and allows the rod to pass from its engaged configuration to its disengaged configuration by sliding its second end on the first slope and free sliding of this second end in the lumen of the slide on a at least part of the travel available to the slide between its active position and its inactive position.
• this connecting rod passes through an intermediate position in which it is aligned on the first axis by its first and second extremities. Furthermore, it is advantageous to ensure that the cutout of the first lever has a second slope and that, in the position of engagement of the lever and for the engaged configuration of the connecting rod, the second end of the connecting rod exerts, on the first and second slopes, respective first and second support forces, the first of which is greater than the second and for example at least twice the second.
• the lever is urged towards its rest position by a fourth elastic force, and that the cutout of the first lever is bordered by a third slope of slight inclination relative to the connecting rod in the disengaged configuration, so that, in the position of engagement of the lever and the disengaged configuration of the connecting rod, the second end of this connecting rod temporarily causes the first lever to pass from its first to its second relative position of rotation, under the effect of the fourth force elastic, sliding with support on the third slope.
• the connecting rod is constituted by a rider shaped as a "U" having first and second lateral branches respectively constituting the first and second ends of this connecting rod and joined together by a common base.
• the transmission mechanism may include a second lever mounted tilting in the housing and having a selectively driven relief, for example by a pin external mobile projecting into the housing through a first window formed in this housing, and a kinematic connection determining the rotational position of the first lever as a function of at least one rotational position of the second lever, this kinematic connection including at least one lug drive carried by this second lever.
• the kinematic connection may further comprise a third lever mounted to tilt in the housing, this third lever being selectively driven by the second lever and comprising a drive finger bearing on the first lever as well as a groove in which the lug of drive of the second lever is received by sliding, the second and third levers carrying out respective rotational movements of less angular amplitude and greater angular amplitude during the passage of the first lever from its first to its second relative position of rotation.
• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a device according to the invention
• - Figure 2 is an enlarged view in slight perspective from the front of the device illustrated in Figure 1, deprived of its cover, and whose handle is in the engaged position
• - Figure 3 is an enlarged view in slight perspective from the front of the device illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, deprived of its cover, and the lever is in the rest position;
• FIG. 4a is an enlarged side view of a first lever used in the device illustrated in the preceding figures
• Figure 4b is an enlarged top view of the first lever illustrated in Figure 4a;
• Figure 5 is an enlarged side view of a slider used in the device illustrated in Figures 1 to 3;
• FIG. 6a is an enlarged perspective view of a second lever used in the device illustrated in Figures 1 to 3;
• FIG. 6b is an enlarged perspective view of the second lever illustrated in Figure 6a, observed from another angle;
• FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a third lever used in the device illustrated in Figures 1 to 3;
• FIG. 8a is an enlarged side view of a sub-assembly of the device illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, this figure representing the first lever in a first relative position of rotation relative to the slide;
• Figure 8b is an enlarged side view of the subassembly illustrated in Figure 8a, this figure showing the first lever in a second relative position of rotation relative to the slide;
• Figure 9 is a perspective view of the device illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, observed from the side of its bottom, and the handle being shown in the engaged position.
• the invention relates to an electrical current cut-off device, and more specifically to a disconnector switch capable of being triggered by an auxiliary member (not shown).
• This device which is in the form of a module, comprises a housing 1, for example formed from a bottom 1a and a cover 1b.
• the housing 1 carries two fixed contacts 21 and 22, riveted on respective conductive supports 21a and 22a and associated with respective wire clamps 21b and 22b, in which input and output conductors (not shown) are held captive by tightening corresponding screws 21c and 22c.
• the electrical contact between the input and output conductors can be established or interrupted by means of a movable contact 20.
• the movable contact 20 is selectively applied to the fixed contacts 21 and 22 by means of an arming mechanism 3, and released from the fixed contacts 21 and 22 by tripping means 4.
• the arming mechanism 3 comprises an actuator 31 and a drive slide 32.
• the slide 32 which carries the movable contact 20, is subjected on the one hand to the stress of an elastic force exerted by a first spring 51 in the direction D1 (upwards in the figures), and on the other hand to the driving force that the actuator 31 can exert on it, under certain conditions, in the direction D2 opposite to the first direction Dl (and therefore down in the figures).
• the slide can thus be moved in translation relative to the housing 1, along an axis Z passing between the two fixed contacts 21 and 22, from an inactive position illustrated in FIG. 3 until in an active position illustrated in FIG. 2 under the effect of the actuator 31, and, from its active position to its inactive position under the effect of the spring 51.
• the movable contact 20 is carried by the slide 32 with freedom of sliding and subjected, with respect to the slide 32, to the stress of an elastic force exerted by a second spring 52 in the second direction D2.
• the movable contact 20 is thus applied to the fixed contacts 21 and 22 by the spring 52, while, in the inactive position of the slide 32, the movable contact 20 is applied by the spring 52 to a stop 321 of the slide, thus adopting a position in which it is released from the fixed contacts 21 and 22.
• Stops such as 13 ( Figures 2 and 3) are for example provided in the housing 1 to limit the travel of the movable contact 20 and of the slide 32 under the effect of the force exerted by the spring 51.
• the trigger means 4 comprise a transmission mechanism 41, and a lock 42 mounted on the slide 32.
• the latch 42 which can be controlled at any time by the transmission mechanism 41 to disengage the slider 32 of the actuator 31, essentially comprises a lever 421 pivotally mounted on the slider 32 around an axis X.
• This tilting lever ( Figures 4a, 4b and 8a, 8b), which is for example shaped as a yoke and which covers the upper end of the slide 32, is permanently biased by a spring 53 towards a first relative position of rotation relative to the slide 32, clearly visible in FIG. 8a.
• the lock 42 then adopts a configuration which will be called "locked”.
• the actuator 31 (FIG. 1) comprises a lever 311 pivotally mounted on the housing 1 by means of a hub 311a, an eccentric 312 integral with the lever 311, and a connecting rod 313.
• the connecting rod 313 is for example constituted by a jumper shaped as a "U" having two extreme lateral branches 313a and 313b joined together by a common base 313c, the branches 313a and 313b respectively constituting the upper and lower ends of this connecting rod 313.
• the upper end 313a of the connecting rod 313 is articulated on the eccentric 312, while the lower end 313b of this connecting rod is engaged in an elongated opening 322 of the slide 32.
• the light 322 is substantially parallel to the axis Z in its lower part but has, in its upper part, a deviation showing a slope 323 inclined relative to the axis Z.
• the tilting lever 421 has a cutout 420 which, in the locked configuration of the lock 42, cooperates with the inclined upper part of the slot 322 to define an eye 320, preferably closed, in which the lower end 313b of the connecting rod 313 can be held captive.
• the connecting rod 313 adopts a configuration which will be called “engaged” and which is defined by the fact that the connecting rod is held captive in the eye 320 by its lower end 313b, this end 313b is maintained, in the eye 320, on one side by the cutout 420 of the rocking lever 421 and on the other side by the slope 323, of non-zero inclination relative to the axis Z, which forms the upper end of the light 322 of the slide 32.
• the rocking lever 421 can be moved by the transmission mechanism 41, acting against the spring 53, until it reaches another relative position of rotation relative to the slide 32 in which the eye 320 opens by relative distance from the cutout 420 of the rocking lever 421 and the slope 323 of the light 322 of the slider 32, the latch 42 then adopting a configuration which will be called "unlocked".
• the rod 313 thus passes from its engaged configuration to a configuration which will be called “disengaged”.
• the actuator 31 can, via this connecting rod, drive the slide 32 towards its active position in the direction D2 (in this case down) by pivoting of the handle 311 from its rest position ( Figure 3) to its engagement position ( Figure 2), the engagement position of the handle 311 placing the slide 32 in its active position.
• FIGS. 8a and 8b which show that the drive finger 412a can slide on the first lever 421 during the triggering, make it possible to emphasize the importance of the mounting of the lever lever lock tilting on the slide. Indeed, using this same assembly, and leaving the driving finger 412a the possibility of sliding relative to the lever 421, it would be conceivable to drive the finger 412a in translation rather than in rotation, for example by fixing it on a rack moved in translation by a pinion itself driven in rotation through the window in an arc of a circle 11.
• the translational movement of the finger 412a could be directly printed from the outside of the housing through a window such as 11, but of rectilinear shape.
• the actuator 31 has an arrangement of the type known to those skilled in the art under the name of "toggle” or “dead center exceeded” blocking, defined by the fact that, when the lever 311, in the engaged configuration of the connecting rod, passes from its rest position to its latching position, this connecting rod passes through an intermediate position in which the compression of the spring 51 is maximum, the straight segment formed by the ends 313a and 313b of this connecting rod then being aligned on the axis Z, on which is also finds the center of rotation of the eccentric 312.
• the cutout 420 of the first lever 421 has a slope 420a intended to support, with the slope 323 of the light 322 of the slide 32, the bearing force that the end 313b of the connecting rod , in the engaged configuration thereof, exerts on the eye 320 in the engagement position of the lever 311.
• the end 313b of the connecting rod 313 exerts, on the slopes 323 and 420a, respective first and second support forces, the first of which is substantially greater than the second, and for example at least twice the bearing force exerted on the slope 420a.
• the cutout 420 of the first lever 421 is bordered by another slope 420b (FIG. 4a), of slight inclination relative to the rod 313 in the disengaged configuration, and the lever is biased towards its rest position by a spring 54.
• the lower end 313b of this connecting rod 313 is supported by sliding on the slope 420b under the effect of the force exerted by the spring 54 and raises the first lever 421, temporarily passing it from its first to its second relative position of rotation, until it returns trapped in the eye 320.
• the transmission mechanism 41 comprises for example at least a second lever 411 and a kinematic link.
• the second lever 411 ( Figures 1 to 3 and 6a, 6b) is pivotally mounted in the housing 1 and has a relief 411a, for example a groove, which can be driven at will by an external movable pin (not shown), belonging to an auxiliary module adjacent to the device of the invention, and projecting into the housing 1 through a window 11 in an arc formed in this housing 1.
• the kinematic link comprises at least one drive pin 411b carried by this second lever 411, but can also include a third lever 412 mounted tilting in the housing 1 ( Figures 1 to 3 and 7).
• This third lever 412 which is intended to be driven by the second lever 411, then itself comprises a drive finger 412a bearing on the first lever 421 as well as a groove 412b in which the drive lug 411b of the second lever 411 is slidably received.
• this third lever 412 The role of this third lever 412 is to amplify the angular movement of the second lever 411, that is to say that, when the first lever 421 passes from its first relative position of rotation (FIG. 8a) to its second relative position of rotation (FIG. 8b), the third rocking lever 412 performs a rotational movement of greater angular amplitude than the rotational movement effected by the second rocking lever 411.
• the hub 311a of the lever 311 is rotatably mounted in the housing 1, as illustrated in FIG. 2, so that part of this hub is visible from the outside of the housing 1, even if the latter is opaque, this which corresponds to the preferred embodiment of the invention.
• the visible part of the hub 311a carries a first status indicator 61 (FIG. 3), intended to inform the user of the device of the invention that the electrical circuit controlled by this device is open, in other words that the movable contact 20 is free from fixed contacts 21 and 22.
• the status indicator 61 is itself visible from the outside of the housing 1 in the rest position of the lever 311. On the other hand, the status indicator 61 is hidden by the opaque side wall of the housing 1 in any position of the lever 311 for which, in the engaged configuration of the connecting rod 313, the slider 32 adopts a position between its active position and a intermediate position between its active and inactive positions.
• the device of the invention also advantageously comprises a mobile status indicator 60, which permanently adopts a position linked to the position of the slide 32.
• this indicator 60 also takes the form of a lever pivotably mounted on the housing 1 and is provided with a cam 600 in which a finger 325 (FIG. 2) slides secured to an extension 324 (FIG. 5) of the slide 32.
• the status indicator 60 carries a second status indicator 62, intended to inform the user of the device of the invention that the electrical circuit controlled by this device is closed, in other words that the movable contact 20 is applied by the spring 52 on the fixed contacts 21 and 22.
• the second status indicator 62 is hidden by the side wall of the housing 1 in the inactive position of the slider 32, but visible from the outside of the housing 1, for example through a window 12 of this housing (FIG. 1), in any position of the slide 32 between its intermediate position and its active position.
• the first and second status indicators 61 and 62 are of different colors between them, for example green and red respectively, and of a different color from that of the housing 1, for example yellow, so as to allow discrimination optimal of the states indicated by these indicators.
• the mobile status indicator 60 can also carry a third status indicator 63, which is particularly advantageous in the case where the module which constitutes the device of the invention is coupled to other adjacent modules by means of a bar. (not shown) inserted into the opening 310 of the hub 311a of each of the coupled modules.
• levers 311 of the different coupled modules all adopt the same position, even though the respective slides 32 of these different modules can be in different positions.
• the movable contact 20 of one of these modules remains, as a result of failure, soldered to the fixed contacts 21 and 22 of this module, the slides of all the non-failing modules will be in the inactive position, while the slide of the faulty module will remain in the active position.
• the handles of all the modules instead of returning to their rest position, will remain in an average position corresponding to the position of the handle of the defective module, and in which the first indicator 61 will remain masked by the housing 1.
• the third status indicator 63 can be carried by the mobile status indicator 60 so as to be visible from the outside of the housing 1, through the window 12 , in the inactive position of the slide 32, and hidden by the housing 1 in any position of the slide 32 between its intermediate position and its active position.
• this third status indicator 63 is preferably of the color of the housing, for example yellow.
• this state is indicated by the second LED 62 of this module, colored red in the example taken above.
• status indicators such as 61 to 63 can be used not only on a current cut-off device in which the tripping movement and the movement of the contact mobile are of different types, but more generally on a current cut-off device provided with an actuator such as 31 and a slide such as 32, independently of the particular shape given to the triggering means 4.

Landscapes

• Mechanical Control Devices (AREA)
• Driving Mechanisms And Operating Circuits Of Arc-Extinguishing High-Tension Switches (AREA)
• Lock And Its Accessories (AREA)
• Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Machining, And Combined Machining (AREA)
• Mechanically-Actuated Valves (AREA)
• Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
• Mechanisms For Operating Contacts (AREA)
• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
• Emergency Protection Circuit Devices (AREA)

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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=34203388

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (10)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (6)

• 2003
  • 2003-09-11 FR FR0310706A patent/FR2859816B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2004
  • 2004-09-09 DE DE602004005723T patent/DE602004005723T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-09-09 RU RU2006111708/09A patent/RU2310943C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-09-09 PT PT04787342T patent/PT1665316E/pt unknown
  • 2004-09-09 EP EP04787342A patent/EP1665316B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-09-09 AT AT04787342T patent/ATE358884T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-09-09 CN CNB2004800262456A patent/CN100511548C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-09-09 BR BRPI0414339-6A patent/BRPI0414339A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-09-09 WO PCT/FR2004/002293 patent/WO2005027169A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2004-09-09 ES ES04787342T patent/ES2284060T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (6)

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