Patent Grant
8253517
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to German Patent Application No. 10 2008 016 575.1 filed in Germany on Apr. 1, 2008, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
A full-protection circuit breaker is disclosed having a line-protection circuit breaker and a residual-current-operated component which can be fitted thereto.
Full-protection circuit breakers such as these with residual-current-operated components and line-protection circuit breakers, which, overall, form a circuit breaker which interrupts a current path to be monitored not only in the event of a short circuit occurring but also in the event of a thermal overcurrent and furthermore also in the event of a fault current occurring, are known in principle. The two devices, the line-protection circuit breaker and the residual-current-operated component, are coupled to one another such that the line-protection circuit breaker is disconnected when the residual-current-operated component trips, but the residual-current-operated component remains in the position ready for tripping when the line-protection circuit breaker responds, provided that the short circuit or overcurrent was not associated with a fault current. Full-protection circuit breakers such as these are therefore used at the same time for protection of the line network to be monitored against short circuits and overloading, for example for prevention of electrical accidents caused by line defects and the like.
DE 44 13 418 A1 discloses a full-protection circuit breaker of this generic type having a line-protection circuit breaker and a residual-current-operated protection part which can be fitted thereto. The release element of the latching mechanism of the residual-current-operated protection part is in this case coupled to the line-protection circuit breaker by means of a coupling element. The coupling element in this case interacts with the tripping lever of the line-protection circuit breaker such that, when the residual-current-operated protection part trips, the coupling element always acts on the tripping lever of the line-protection circuit breaker in the direction of unlatching of the latching point of the latching mechanism of the line-protection circuit breaker. Furthermore, the residual-current-operated protection part and the line-protection circuit breaker are connected to one another via a slide. By interacting with a lever mechanism in the residual-current-operated component, the slide ensures that the residual-current-operated component can be operated even when the line-protection circuit breaker has tripped, for example as a result of an overcurrent.
When, after the residual-current-operated component has responded, the reason for this, that is to say the occurrence of a fault current, has decayed again, then the latching mechanism of the residual-current-operated component remains in its tripped position until it is reset by manual operation of the switching toggle of the residual-current-operated component. Only once the latching mechanism of the residual-current-operated component has been manually reset is the coupling element once again moved to a position in which the action of the tripping lever of the line-protection circuit breaker in the direction of unlatching of the latching point of the latching mechanism of the line-protection circuit breaker cancelled, and the latching point of the latching mechanism of the line-protection circuit breaker can thus be latched again.
Only then can the line-protection circuit breaker be reconnected manually via its switching toggle.
Because of the mechanical lever step-up ratio in the residual-current-operated component, which lever step-up ratio translates the rotary movement of the switching toggle to a linear movement of the coupling element, a certain lead of the switching toggle of the residual-current-operated component is necessarily required. This means that the switching toggle of the residual-current-operated component must first be rotated through a specific angle in the direction of the connected position and only then is the coupling element moved to a position in which it allows relatching of the latching point of the line-protection circuit breaker.
When the line-protection circuit breaker is intended to be reconnected after tripping of the residual-current-operated component and the disconnection of the line-protection circuit breaker which necessarily results from this, the residual-current-operated component must be connected first of all, and only then is it possible to connect the line-protection circuit breaker.
Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein can allow simplified and joint reconnection of the residual-current-operated component and of the line-protection circuit breaker in a full-protection circuit breaker.
A full-protection circuit breaker is disclosed having a line-protection circuit breaker and a residual-current-operated component which can be fitted thereto, having a first switching mechanism, which is provided in the residual-current-operated component, comprising a first switching toggle for operation of a first latching mechanism, which is accommodated in the residual-current-operated component and has at least one first latching point, and having a second switching mechanism, which is provided in the line-protection circuit breaker, comprising a second switching toggle for operation of a second latching mechanism, which is accommodated in the line-protection circuit breaker and has at least one second latching point, wherein the first and the second latching mechanisms are coupled by means of a first coupling element such that, when the first latching point is unlatched, the second latching point is also unlatched and in the process at least one contact point of the line-protection circuit breaker is opened, and that the second latching mechanism can be reconnected by means of the second switching toggle only when the first switching toggle has been pivoted through a predeterminable lead angle from its disconnected position in the direction of its connected position, wherein the first and the second switching toggle are coupled by means of a second coupling element, wherein the second coupling element acts on the first switching toggle with respect to the second switching toggle, pivoting through the predeterminable lead angle in the direction of its connected position.
In another aspect, a full-protection circuit breaker arrangement is disclosed, comprising a line-protection circuit breaker and a residual-current-operated component. A first switching mechanism is provided in the residual-current-operated component, comprising a first switching toggle for operation of a first latching mechanism, which is accommodated in the residual-current-operated component and has at least one first latching point. A second switching mechanism is provided in the line-protection circuit breaker, comprising a second switching toggle for operation of a second latching mechanism, which is accommodated in the line-protection circuit breaker and has at least one second latching point. The first and the second latching mechanisms are coupled using a first coupling element. The first and the second switching toggle are coupled using a second coupling element. The second coupling element acts on the first switching toggle with respect to the second switching toggle, pivoting through the predeterminable lead angle in the direction of its connected position.
Yet, in another aspect, a method of providing a full circuit-breaker protection based on a line-protection circuit breaker and a residual-current-operated component is disclosed. Such a method comprises providing a first switching mechanism in the residual-current-operated component with a first switching toggle for operation of a first latching mechanism, which is accommodated in the residual-current-operated component and has at least one first latching point; providing a second switching mechanism in the line-protection circuit breaker with a second switching toggle for operation of a second latching mechanism, which is accommodated in the line-protection circuit breaker and has at least one second latching point; coupling the first and the second latching mechanisms using a first coupling element such that, when the first latching point is unlatched, the second latching point is also unlatched and in the process at least one contact point of the line-protection circuit breaker is opened, and that the second latching mechanism can be reconnected by means of the second switching toggle only when the first switching toggle has been pivoted through a predeterminable lead angle from its disconnected position in the direction of its connected position; and coupling the first and the second switching toggle using a second coupling element, wherein the second coupling element acts on the first switching toggle with respect to the second switching toggle, pivoting through the predeterminable lead angle in the direction of its connected position.
The disclosure as well as further advantageous refinements and improvements of the disclosure will be explained and described in more detail with reference to the drawings, which illustrate six exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, and in which:
Components, elements or assemblies which are the same or have the same effect are each annotated with the same reference numbers in
Thus, according to the disclosure, the first switching toggle of the residual-current-operated component and the second switching toggle of the line-protection circuit breaker are coupled by means of a second coupling element, wherein the second coupling element acts on the first switching toggle with respect to the second switching toggle, pivoting through the predeterminable lead angle in the direction of its connected position.
An exemplary embodiment is provided by a full-protection circuit breaker of this generic type in which the first latching mechanism can be coupled by means of a first coupling element to a tripping lever of the second latching mechanism such that, when the first latching mechanism of the residual-current-operated component changes to its unlatching state and the first switching toggle pivots to its disconnected position, a latching point on the second latching mechanism is held in its unlatching position via the first coupling element and the tripping lever. This exemplary embodiment is also characterized in that, in the event of a forced movement from a first position, which corresponds to the disconnected position of the second switching toggle, to a second position, which corresponds to the connected position of the second switching toggle, the second component first of all acts only on the first switching toggle of the residual-current-operated component, pivoting it, and thus pivots the latter through a predeterminable lead angle before it also acts on the second switching toggle of the line-protection circuit breaker, pivoting it.
A further exemplary embodiment is characterized in that the first switching toggle is pivoted by the second coupling element at least through the lead angle with respect to the second switching toggle from its disconnected position and in the direction of its connected position, and is held.
In this case, in one exemplary embodiment, the lead angle is of such a size that the leading pivoting of the first switching toggle causes the first latching mechanism of the residual-current-operated component to adopt a state in which this latching mechanism releases the tripping lever of the line-protection circuit breaker via the first coupling element, and the latching point of the second latching mechanism can thus be latched again. Overall, this therefore allows joint connection of the residual-current-operated component and the line-protection circuit breaker by operation of a single control element.
In particular, a full-protection circuit breaker according to the disclosure can be positively reconnected by remote control via a motor connected to it. Positive reconnection of a line-protection circuit breaker via a switching motor connected to it is admittedly known in principle. However, without the configuration of a full-protection circuit breaker according to the disclosure, a motor connected for remote operation could, via its motor arm, drive only either the line-protection circuit breaker or only the residual-current-operated component, for reconnection. As described above, it would not be possible to connect the line-protection circuit breaker without previously having connected the residual-current-operated component. It would be just as impossible to connect the line-protection circuit breaker at the same time after connection of the residual-current-operated component because, in the case of the devices known from the prior art, this would require specific operation of the switching toggle of the line-protection circuit breaker. The teaching according to the disclosure for the first time allows joint connection of the residual-current-operated component and of the line-protection circuit breaker by a single control element, allowing a full-protection circuit breaker such as this according to the disclosure to be jointly and positively reconnected under remote control by means of a motor connected thereto.
When a fault current occurs, the residual-current-operated component 4 can therefore not on its own interrupt the circuit to be monitored.
In fact, the line-protection circuit breaker 2 is used to interrupt the circuit, the latching mechanism 14 of which line-protection circuit breaker 2 opens or closes the contact point 26 in a current path 28 via a line of action 24, with the current path 28 being connected into the circuit to be monitored, between an input terminal 30 and an output terminal 32. The latching mechanism 14 of the line-protection circuit breaker can be operated manually from the outside via a second switching toggle 16, and then interacts with the latching mechanism 14 along a line of action 22. In the schematic illustration shown in
The second latching mechanism 14 in the line-protection circuit breaker 2 comprises a tripping lever 12. If this is held in its release position, it prevents latching of the latching point which is likewise provided in the second latching mechanism 14 (this is not shown explicitly here), as a consequence of which the second latching mechanism 14 cannot be connected via the second switching toggle 16.
The first latching mechanism 8 of the residual-current-operated component 2 is coupled to the tripping lever 12 via a first coupling element 10. The first coupling element 10 may be a slide or a lever which passes through the joint broad faces of the line-protection circuit breaker 2 and of the residual-current-operated component 4 at a point that is intended for this purpose, and through openings which are provided for this purpose in the broad faces.
The two switching toggles 6, 16 of the residual-current-operated component 4 or of the residual-current-operated circuit breaker 2 are mechanically coupled to one another via a second coupling element 18.
The two switching toggles 6, 16 are located in their respective disconnected position in the illustration shown in
In the illustration shown in
In the illustration shown in
Depending on the specific mechanical design of the switching mechanisms and of the lever mechanisms, typical lead angle values are in the range between 9° and 40°.
When the second coupling element 18 moves further beyond the intermediate position to the connected position as shown in
Thus, overall, the forced movement of the second coupling element 18 from its disconnected position to its connected position allows joint connection of the line-protection circuit breaker 2 and of the residual-current-operated component 4 by movement of just a single coupling element. Without the coupling according to the disclosure of the two switching toggles 6,16 to the second coupling element 18, the first switching toggle 6 of the residual-current-operated component would first of all have had to be moved to its connected position, and only then would it have been possible to connect to the line-protection circuit breaker 2.
In order to allow the three pole current paths also to be reconnected jointly, the three switching toggles 161,162,163 of the three line-protection circuit breakers 201, 202, 203 are connected to one another via a third coupling element 38. This connection of three single-pole line-protection circuit breakers, which are arranged in a row, in order to achieve three-pole protection is known in principle.
In order to arrive at a full-protection circuit breaker which provides a physical/functional combination of a three-pole-disconnecting assembly of three single-pole line-protection circuit breakers with a residual-current-operated component 4, the first switching toggle 6 of the residual-current-operated component 4 is coupled via a second coupling element 18 to the third coupling element 38, which connects the three switching toggles 161, 162, 163 to one another. The nature and functional configuration of this coupling is designed in a corresponding manner to that described above with reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in
The exemplary embodiments which have been described so far have always been based on the assumption that the first switching toggle 6 of the residual-current-operated component 4 is pivoted completely to its disconnected position when the residual-current-operated component 4 trips, with this disconnected position in each case corresponding to the situation illustrated in the drawing elements a of
So far, the residual-current-operated component 4 has been described as a component which acts in the same way as a residual-current-operated circuit breaker, although it does not have the capabilities to directly interrupt a current path, that is to say it does not have a contact point with the corresponding connecting conductors, the fixed and moving contact pieces and the contact levers. A component which can be used as an autonomous residual-current-operated circuit breaker and which would then also have its own capabilities for current-path interruption could, however, of course also be used as a residual-current-operated component in a full-protection circuit breaker according to the disclosure.
A dome-like bulge 88 is located on the front face 81 of the residual-current-operated component 84 and also of the line-protection circuit breaker located behind it, which bulge 88 surrounds parts of the mechanical latching mechanism and along whose curved outer surface the first switching toggle 6 of the residual-current-operated component and the second switching toggle of the line-protection circuit breaker can be pivoted. In the disconnected position, which is illustrated in
The two switching toggles 6, 16 are coupled to a second coupling element 18. The coupling element 18 is approximately in the form of a rail with a U-shaped profile. In the disconnected position as shown in
The exemplary embodiment variant illustrated in
By way of example, the switching shaft of a switching motor could also act on the coupling element 18 and could pivot the coupling element 18 in the clockwise direction. This would then correspond functionally to an exemplary embodiment as shown in
Three line-protection circuit breakers 201, 202, 203 are arranged in a row on their broad faces. Their switching toggles are connected by a circuit-breaker connector 183 to a joint connection and disconnection, and therefore cannot be seen in the illustration in
A residual-current-operated component 4 is arranged on the outer left-hand broad face of the line-protection circuit breaker 201 and is functionally coupled to the line-protection circuit breakers 201, 202, 203, as described above. The residual-current-operated component 4 is in this context also referred to in the specialist language as a DDA. A switching motor 40 is arranged on the outer right-hand broad face of the line-protection circuit breaker 203. Its drive shaft is coupled to the circuit-breaker connector 183 by means of a fourth coupling element 381. In this case as is in principle generally normal practice nowadays, the line-protection circuit breakers 201, 202, 203 and the DDA 4 are connected and disconnected by pivoting the switching handles about their respective axis, as a result of which the switching handles cover an angle range on switching.
The operation of the coupling according to the disclosure will be explained in the following text with reference to
In principle, the circuit-breaker connector 183 is an elongated rail, e.g., composed of plastic, which has an approximately U-shaped cross-sectional profile. In the installed position, which is illustrated in
The first switching toggle 6 of the residual-current-operated component has a tab 7 which projects parallel to the profile of the circuit-breaker connector 183 and rests thereon at a coupling point 9. The first coupling element 381 is connected to the circuit-breaker connector 183.
When the switching motor 40 now pivots the fourth coupling element 381 in the direction of the arrow annotated “on”, then this at the same time results in the circuit-breaker connector 183 being pivoted in the same direction. As a result of the coupling at the coupling point 9, the first switching toggle 6 of the DDA 4 is likewise pivoted in the connection direction. However, the switching toggles 161,162, 163 still remain in their disconnected position because the free space a means that the second limb 111 does not make contact with the switching toggles 161,162,163 until the circuit-breaker connector 183 has been pivoted through a linear distance or pivoting angle which corresponds to the free space a. The free space a therefore provides the lead which is required in order that the DDA can allow reconnection of the line-protection circuit breakers 201, 202, 203, as described above. This therefore allows joint connection of all three line-protection circuit breakers or poles 201, 202, 203 and of the DDA 4 by the switching motor.
In the connected state, the free space a nevertheless allows the switching toggles 161, 162, 163 to be pivoted to their disconnected position on tripping of a single line-protection circuit breaker or of all three line-protection circuit breakers or poles without tripping the DDA, for example as a result of a thermal overcurrent which would actually not trip the DDA. This is because, by virtue of the internal mechanical design of the line-protection circuit breakers 201, 202, 203, the latching point of the latching mechanism of a line-protection circuit breaker can be relatched after tripping only when the switching toggle is in its disconnected position. Only then is it possible to reconnect the line-protection circuit breaker. The coupling designed according to the disclosure allows entirely normal operation of the line-protection circuit breakers independently of the DDA, as well as positive tripping by the DDA with subsequent joint reconnection by means of the switching motor 40.
If, in contrast, the DDA responds as a result of a fault current and its first switching toggle 6 is pivoted to the disconnected position, identified by the arrow annotated “off”, then the circuit-breaker connector 183 is pivoted immediately to the disconnected position as a result of the coupling at the coupling point 9, and with it, because the first limb 112 is resting on the switching toggles 161, 162, 163 these are also jointly moved immediately to their disconnected position.
The disclosure is, of course, not intended to be restricted to the exemplary embodiments illustrated schematically. All other design refinements which have the same functional purpose, that is to say specifically in the case of a coupling of the switching toggles of a residual-current-operated component arranged in a row and of a line-protection circuit breaker via a common coupling element with positive pivoting of the coupling element in which the first switching toggle of the residual-current-operated component is first of all pivoted through a specific lead angle before the second switching toggle of the line-protection circuit breaker is then likewise pivoted, are also covered by the present disclosure, at least in the equivalence area.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restricted. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that come within the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to be embraced therein.
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|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2008 016 575 | Apr 2008 | DE | national |
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| Number | Date | Country |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090242372 A1 | Oct 2009 | US |
