Patent Grant
8198556
This is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. §171 of International Application PCT/EP2008/003180, filed on Apr. 21, 2008, which claims priority to German Application No. DE 10 2007 018 658.6, filed on Apr. 20, 2007. The International Application was published in German on Oct. 30, 2008 as WO 2008/128741 under PCT Article 21(2).
The invention relates to an installation switching device having a lead-sealable operating lever.
Installation switching devices of this generic type are, for example, circuit breakers, residual current devices, motor protective switches, and main line circuit breakers. Within an insulating material housing, they have a switching apparatus, by means of which the current path which runs between an input terminal and an output terminal in the interior of the installation switching device can be interrupted or switched off, and can be switched on again.
The switching apparatus in the interior of the insulating material housing can in this case be switched on and off by an operator from the outside by means of a switching handle, which can be pivoted or rotated at least between a switched-on position and a switched-off position. The side of the installation switching device on which the switching handle is accessible for operation is referred to in the following text as the front face. The switching handle interacts in a suitable manner, which is known in principle, with the switching apparatus which is accommodated in the interior of the insulating material housing, such that the current path is switched on when the switching handle is in the switched-on position, and is switched off when the switching handle is in the switched-off position.
An installation switching device which switches one and only one current path between an input terminal and an output terminal is referred to as a single-pole installation switching device. If a plurality of current paths between a plurality of input terminals and a plurality of output terminals can be switched within one insulating material housing, then this is referred to as a multipole installation switching device. For example, three individual current paths, which each run between three input terminals and three output terminals, could be switched on or off at the same time by operation of a single switching handle in a three-pole installation switching device. A three-pole or multipole installation switching device can also be produced by arranging a plurality of single-pole devices in a row with their broad faces adjacent to one another, in which case the switching handles of the individual single-pole devices would need to be connected in a suitable manner, which is known in principle, in order to allow all the poles to be switched jointly.
It is often desirable to adopt suitable measures to ensure that the installation switching device may be operated only by authorized personnel. For this purpose, the switching handle is lead-sealed in one switch position, for example in the switched-on position, and the lead-seal may be released only by personnel authorized to do so, as a result of which manual disconnection can be carried out only by an operator who is authorized to do so. In precisely the same way, it would, of course, also be possible to use a lead-seal to ensure that only a person who is authorized to do so can switch the device on by hand.
A known technical apparatus for lead-sealing of the switching handle comprises the fitting of a front-face cover to the switching handle, with this cover being lead-sealed by means of a lead-sealed lock, for example, or a lead-sealing wire. However, the additional cover part required for this purpose could also be dispensed with, for cost reasons.
Other known technical apparatuses dispense with an additional cover part and, instead of this, provide a slide which is mounted in the switching handle, can be pulled out of the switching handle and overhangs the switching handle in the pulled-out state, with the part which overhangs said switching handle engaging in a holding groove which is located on the front face surface and corresponds with the switching handle in the lead-sealed position, where it can be lead-sealed in the pulled-out state. One example of an apparatus such as this is disclosed in DE 10 2006 058987, using the example of a lead-sealable rotary handle.
For example, in the case of installation switching devices having switching handles which can be moved linearly or can be tilted, it is known for two thin holes to be provided on the front face, which are separated transversely with respect to the movement direction of the switching handle and through which a lead-sealing wire can be passed, in such a way that the switching handle can be prevented from pivoting, by means of the lead-sealing wire or a lead-sealed lock. The housing of the installation switching device in this case assumed to be a standard housing, with there being no significant difference in the external contour between a lead-sealable embodiment and a normal embodiment. The holes on the front face may therefore only be made thin since, otherwise, it would be necessary to form a thicker bead in order to accommodate thick holes. Lead-sealing by means of a lead-sealed lock is therefore not possible, since the hasp of a lead-sealed lock is considerably thicker than a normal lead-sealing wire.
An aspect of the present invention is to further develop an installation switching device of this generic type such that multiple locking is possible by cumulative or alternative use of different lead-sealing means, for example by means of a lead-sealing wire or a lead-sealed lock, in a simple manner and without any major change to the external contour of the installation switching device.
Therefore, according to the invention, a slide which can move between a locked position and a released position and is in the form of a frame is fitted with a holding projection on the front face, with the holding projection on the slide blocking switching of the switching handle when in the lead-sealed position, and with the holding projection on the slide releasing the switching handle for switching when in the released position, and in which case it is possible to prevent movement of the slide from the lead-sealed position by lead-sealing means which are supported on the one hand on webs on the slide, which run transversely with respect to the movement direction of the slide, and on the other hand on structural elements on the front face of the housing, with the structural elements being firmly connected to the housing wall or being integrally formed on the housing wall.
The advantage of an installation switching device according to the invention is that the slide, which is in the form of a frame, and the corresponding structural elements can be made very flat, as a result of which this scarcely changes the external contour of the installation switching device. Since a slide which is in the form of a frame has at least two webs on the narrow faces, this results in at least two lead-sealing options, by using two different lead-sealing means, for the installation switching device according to the invention, for example by a lead-sealing wire and a padlock at the same time.
One advantageous embodiment of the invention is for a device combination formed from a plurality of individual poles, for example three individual poles, arranged in a row, in that a correspondingly longer slide is provided, which slide has a basic shape of a rectangular frame whose length corresponds to the width of the devices which are arranged in a row, and which is subdivided by intermediate webs into as many window elements as there are switch poles and therefore switching levers, with each window element corresponding to one switching lever of a single pole.
According to one advantageous embodiment, the holding projection is in the form of a flat tongue which extends from a web on the slide frame into the interior of the frame opening.
According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the tongue interacts with the switching lever such that, in the locked position, the tongue engages with a corresponding locking contour in the switching handle when in the locked position, thus providing coupling, which blocks switching of the switching handle, between the slide and the switching handle.
The slide can be moved parallel to the forward front face between a locked position and a released position.
For this purpose, according to a further advantageous embodiment, the slide has strips on the longitudinal webs of the basic shape, which is in the form of a frame, which strips can be guided such that they can move in corresponding grooves on the forward front face of the switching devices.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the strips on the slide can be snapped onto the grooves, for mounting.
The slide can be lead-sealed in three different ways, cumulatively so to speak, in its locked position.
According to one advantageous embodiment, for a first type of lead-sealing, a first lead-sealing channel is formed in one of the webs, and a second lead-sealing channel which corresponds to the housing wall is formed on the housing wall, with both lead-sealing channels being covered in the lead-sealed position, such that a lead-sealing wire can be passed through both lead-sealing channels.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, a first lead-sealing channel is formed in one of the webs, through which lead-sealing channel a lead-sealing wire can be passed which is supported on a housing projection in the lead-sealed position, such that the slide cannot be moved when in the lead-sealed position. In this case, the lead-sealing wire can be supported on a corresponding projection on the housing, such that it cannot move laterally when the web of the slide covers it in the locked position.
According to one advantageous embodiment, for a second type of lead-sealing, one of the webs has a first indentation and the front face of the housing has a second indentation, with the two indentations being located on one another when the slide is in the locked position, such that they form a lead-sealing opening through which a padlock can be passed. The second type of lead-sealing is therefore provided by a padlock. The hasp can also be supported on a corresponding projection on the housing wall.
In one advantageous further embodiment, lead-sealing by means of a cable tie is possible, as a third type of lead-sealing, for an installation switching device according to the invention. For this purpose, when in the locked position, a cable tie can be passed through an opening which is formed between one of the webs on one of the narrow faces of the slide and an indentation in the housing wall, which cable tie is supported on the housing, for example on the broad face of the switching device or on the connecting edge between the broad face and the front face, when the slide is in the lead-sealed position. For this purpose, the invention provides for the slide to overhang the broad face of the housing by a small amount, in its locked position. This type of lead-sealing is particularly simple since there is no need to make any changes to the front face of the housing, and in particular there is no need to incorporate any additional lead-sealing holes on the front face of the housing.
A further highly advantageous embodiment provides for the slide to have a viewing opening which corresponds to a viewing window, which may be provided on the forward front face of the switching device, for a visual switch position indication. For this purpose, the slide has a viewing opening at the appropriate point in its longitudinal web, in order that the switch position indication can still be seen even when the slide is in place.
A further advantageous effect of the invention is that inadvertent movement of the switching handle can be prevented in a simple manner by moving the slide to the locked position, even when no lead-sealing means are used.
Further advantageous refinements and improvements of the invention, as well as further advantages, can be found in the dependent claims.
The invention as well as further advantageous refinements and improvements of the invention will be explained and described in more detail with reference to the drawings, in which various embodiments of the invention are illustrated, and in which:
a shows an installation switching device according to the prior art,
b shows the installation switching device as shown in
a shows the installation switching device as shown in
b shows a third embodiment of a single-pole installation switching device according to the invention, lead-sealed by a cable tie,
a shows a side view of an installation switching device according to the invention, with lead-sealing being provided cumulatively by a lead-sealing wire and a padlock,
b shows the view of the front face of the installation switching device as shown in
c shows a view obliquely from the front of the front face of the installation switching device shown in
Components or elements which are the same or have the same effect are annotated with the same reference numbers in the figures.
a and 1b will be considered first of all, and they reflect the prior art. The figures show an installation switching device 2, for example a main line circuit breaker, which is installed in an installation distribution box 1. The device 2 is illustrated in the form of a plan view of its front face 3. This is an installation switching device with three switching poles, and three switching levers 4, 5, 6 are correspondingly provided, one for each switching pole. The switching levers are in the switched-on position, and are pivoted upward. A projection 7, 8 in the form of a bead is integrally formed on the front face 3 of the housing, in each case to the right and left of the switching lever 6. A hole 9, 10 is provided in each of the projections 7, 8 which are in the form of beads, through which hole 9, 10 a lead-sealing wire 11 can be passed, see
In
In the illustration in
The slide 20 according to the invention therefore makes it possible to prevent inadvertent switching of the switching lever 601 of the installation switching device when the slide 20 is in its locked position.
The slide 20 may however, furthermore, be lead-sealed in its locked position by various options, which can also be used cumulatively. This will now be explained in the following text.
As can be seen from
In the area of the connection to the longitudinal webs 21, 22, the left-hand side web 24 of the slide 20 in each case has an opening 33, 34. A channel is formed, so to speak, by the openings 33, 34 and the dome-like cavity 30 located underneath the web 24, through which channel a lead-sealing wire can be passed, for which reason this is also referred to as a lead-sealing channel. In the locked position, the lead-sealing channel is located to the left, alongside the projection 31 which is in the form of a bead. When a lead-sealing wire 11 is now passed through the lead-sealing channel, then the lead-sealing wire 11 is supported on the side surface of the projection 31, which is in the form of a bead, see
Furthermore, the left-hand side web 24 also has a bulge 35 which is open toward the interior of the frame. The projection 31 which is in the form of a bead also has a bulge 36, which opens outward. The bulge 36 forms, so to speak, a groove, which is open outward, within the projection 31 which is in the form of a bead. When the slide 20 is in the locked position, the bulge 35 on the web 24 is therefore located above the bulge 36 on the projection 31 which is in the form of a bead, thus creating an access opening 37 to the bulge 36 within the projection 31 which is in the form of a bead. In this position, the access opening 37 is sufficiently large that a hasp 39 of a padlock 38 can be passed through it. The hasp then prevents the slide 20 from being moved back to the released position. In addition, the slide 20 can therefore also be lead-sealed in its locked position by a padlock 38, see
The lead-sealing by means of the hasp and a lead-sealing wire can also be carried out cumulatively, as a result of which the slide 20 would then have double protection against unauthorized movement from its locked position.
b shows a further lead-sealing option. In this case, instead of a padlock, a cable tie 40 is passed through the access opening and the groove, and prevents the slide 20 from being pushed back to its released position.
The locking function of the slide 120 is implemented in a similar manner to that described above for the slide 20 in the single-pole device. Tongues 130, 131, 132 are integrally formed on the right-hand side web 123 and on the transverse webs 125, 126, project into the window area, which is in each case located to the left of the associated web, and lock the three switching handles 612, 613, 614 when the slide 120 has been pushed to the left, to the locked position, see
The lead-sealing aids which are provided on the side web 24 of the single-pole slide 20, specifically the openings 33, 34 and the bulge 35, are not present in the case of the corresponding left-hand side web 124 of the slide 120. Instead of this, openings 133, 134 are incorporated in the first transverse web 125. In a corresponding manner to the projection 31, which is in the form of a bead, in the case of the single-pole installation switching device, projections 131, 138, 139, which are in the form of beads, are in this case integrally formed, on the front face of the housing in the area of the left-hand side web 124 and of the two transverse webs 125, 126, and each themselves have a bulge 136, 140, 141 whose form and function correspond to the bulge 36 in the case of the single-pole switching device.
The lead-sealing by means of a lead-sealing wire 11 is therefore provided on the first transverse web 125, see
Instead of the openings which are matched to the diameter of a lead-sealing wire, the second transverse web 126 has two cutouts 142, 143, which open outward in a U-shape and are matched to the diameter of the hasp of a padlock. Lead-sealing by means of a padlock can thus be carried out on the second transverse web 126, see
As a third option for lead-sealing, a cable tie 40 can be passed through the opening 144 which is released between the left-hand side web 124 and the bulge 136 in the projection 131 which is in the form of a bead, see
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2007 018 658 | Apr 2007 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2008/003180 | 4/21/2008 | WO | 00 | 10/19/2009 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2008/128741 | 10/30/2008 | WO | A |
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|---|---|---|
| 3236023 | Mar 1984 | DE |
| 102006058987 | Jun 2008 | DE |
| 1643519 | Apr 2006 | EP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20100108477 A1 | May 2010 | US |
