Patent Application
20090165349
1. Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally relate to switching devices and more particularly it relates to contact indication and label holder for switching devices such as miniature circuit breaker, residual current circuit breaker, and isolator to provide safety indications to the technicians or end users.
2. Description of the Related Art
Switching devices such as miniature circuit breakers, residual circuit breakers and isolators etc are used in domestic and industrial applications for protection against over currents. It is generally required to control electrical power networks by switching circuit “ON”, by carrying load and by switching circuit “OFF” under manual or automatic suspension. Whenever there is an over current resulting in an electrical circuits, the contacts in the switching devices open or trips to block the current which is greater then the rating of the current device.
There are several provisions available to control the electrical contacts. In some cases it includes manual operation, where the moving contact is moved in conjunction with the fixed contact to open or close the electrical connection. In other cases, whenever the over current occurs in the power circuits, the circuit breakers trips automatically to break the contacts. The function of the circuit breakers is to maintain two stable conditions close and open.
However in certain cases the switching devices operate due to fault. During operation of switching devices like miniature circuit breaker, residual current circuit breaker, and isolator, there are chances that due to high currents contact gets welded and current still flows through circuit even if knob of device showing it in “OFF” state. During the maintenance if someone comes in direct contact with circuit, thinking breaker is “OFF”, it may result in serious shock and can be fatal. In some circumstances the moving contact remains stuck on fixed contact with an adhesive force such that the mechanism is not enough to break the joint. In such exceptional circumstances, it is necessary that the switch control indicates the closed position of the switch.
Generally operating knob of switching device is hinged about an axis rotating between certain angles. The operating knob has two stable states, “OFF” and “ON” between which it gets toggled. However in certain cases when switching devices operates due to fault i.e. knob changes its position from “ON” to “OFF”, sometimes the contacts gets welded and current still flows through device. Due to the wrong indication of contacts, accident can occur with operator. In order to notice such a condition there should be some means to detect the status of the circuit breaker i.e. either “ON” or OFF. In industrial and domestic applications it is very important for the technicians and the end users to know the working of an electrical load or appliance connected to the power circuit before working on it. When several technicians are engaged in serving the electrical equipment, there is a need to identify if switching devices is turned “OFF” and “ON”. There is a need of provision for proper identification in device itself.
Prior art provide the method for true contact indication and identification of switching devices at the same platform. In conventional indication system, if seen from a distance, many times it is difficult to differentiate red and green colour in indication window as both look as black due to small size which creates confusion. Many switching devices are having either contact indication or label holder for identification, which are much complex in assemblies and are time consuming.
It is very essential that switching device should indicate its true or actual contact positions i.e. either “ON” or “OFF”. In domestic or industrial applications there are chances that due to lack of proper identification on switching devices operator switches “ON” or “OFF” wrong device which can be problematic sometimes. So there should be the provision for proper identification in device itself. Technicians find difficult to identify the true contact of the switching devices and also in identifying the switching devices which is time consuming. Each time technicians are required to inspect the switching devices for proper identification. Hence there is a need to develop an improved means for contact indication and identification of switching devices for user reliability which consumes less time. There is a further need to provide both features (contact indication and label holder) for identification using same component to reduce cost and improve efficiency of assembly.
The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concept of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The embodiments of present invention provides an assembly of contact indication and label holder using the same platform for switching devices to provide safety indications to the technicians or end users. The embodiments of present invention also provide method for identification of switching device so as to avoid the manual switching of unwanted breakers. The user can put small paper strip in label holder mentioning the name i.e. with which place it is connected e.g. kitchen, store, bedroom etc and other details. In case of accidents or fire in electric wiring or appliances of a particular area or room user can easily identify which switch is needed to be switched “OFF”.
The assembly comprises of a tag and label holder. Tagging arrangement consists of an indication window for the indication status of MCB i.e. ON/OFF and two hinges for holding label holder. The component also has two windows, which are intended for locking of label holder and groove for holding indicating paper. The label holder revolves about the two hinges. Label holder consists of two holes to be fitted in tag and two locks for locking in windows of tag while holding paper. This label holder is made up of transparent material. The label holder has an inbuilt lens for giving contact indication a zooming effect so that it is easier to differentiate between red and green colour of indication flag even from distance. Indicating paper is used for indication purpose that rests on transparent label holder. Users can write important details on the paper that indicates which switch is connected to which component or circuit.
In assembly of tag and label holder, the label holder is fitted to tag from one side first i.e. one of hinges of tag is inserted in one of holes of label holder and then pressed against second hinge. Label holder can easily revolve about hinges of tag. Indicating paper is inserted into the groove intended and label holder is pressed against tag and it gets locked.
Red indication flag and green indication flag are connected to indication tag assembly. When indication tag assembly is placed on the housing, the red indication flag or green indication flag is visible through the indication window depending upon the status of switch i.e. “ON” or “OFF”. Green indication flag is directly connected to moving contact (moving contact connects and breaks the contacts) with pivot. The pivot is a metallic pin that links the mechanism of the switch with the moving contact. When moving contact becomes inclined (i.e. switch in “ON” position), the green indication flag move up making red indication flag visible through the indication window. When knob is in “OFF” position the green indication flag is visible through the indication window. When the breaker is switched “ON” i.e. knob is pushed up, due to mechanism linkages moving contact moves towards right or becomes inclined. The green indication flag is directly connected to moving contact with pivot so it moves up making red indication flag visible through the indication window.
These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
Although specific features of the present invention are shown in some drawings and not in others. This is done for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the present invention.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The preferred embodiment provides an assembly of contact indication and label holder using the same component for switching devices to provide safety indications to the technicians or end users. The present invention also deals with the identification of switching device so as to avoid the manual switching of unwanted breakers. The assembly comprises of a tag and label holder. Tagging arrangement consists of an indication window for indication status of MCB i.e. ON/OFF and two hinges for holding label holder. The component also has two windows, which are intended for locking of label holder and groove for holding indicating paper. The label holder revolves about the two hinges. Label holder consists of two holes to be fitted in the tag and two locks for locking in windows of the tag while holding paper. The label holder is made up of transparent material. The label holder has an inbuilt lens for giving contact indication a zooming effect so that it is easier to differentiate between red and green color of indication flag even from distance. Indicating paper is used for indication purpose and rests on transparent label holder. Users can write important details on this paper that will indicate which switch is connected to which component or circuit.
In assembly of tag and label holder, the label holder is fitted to tag from one side first i.e. one of hinges of tag is inserted in one of holes of label holder and then pressed against second hinge. Now label holder can easily revolve about hinges of tag. Indicating paper is inserted into the groove intended and label holder is pressed against tag and it gets locked.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2593/MUM/2007 | Dec 2007 | IN | national |
