Patent Grant
8098119
The invention relates to a protection switch having at least one single-pole protection switch module, in which the at least one protection switch module includes a housing, a switching arm carrying a movable contact, which is pivotably movable against a fixed contact between a closed position and an open position, a manual operating mechanism for manually adjusting the switching arm between the closed position and the open position, and a tripping mechanism for automatically resetting the switching arm into the open position when a tripping condition arises.
Such a protection switch is known, for example, from French Patent Application FR 2 661 776 A1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,198. The tripping mechanism of the known protection switch includes an electromagnetic trip device and a bimetallic trip device. The electromagnetic trip device detects a short circuit and the bimetallic trip device detects an overload condition as tripping conditions. When the respective tripping condition occurs, the corresponding trip device acts on a tripping arm which, in turn, unlatches the switching arm and thus triggers the resetting of the switching arm into the open position.
A protection switch of the above-mentioned type should generally produce the fastest possible separation of the electrical connection formed between the moving contact and the fixed contact when the tripping condition occurs, in order to effectively protect a circuit following the protection switch against a short circuit and/or overload damage. In that context, in particular, a switching arc which unavoidably occurs between the moving contact and the fixed contact during the switching process should be quenched as rapidly as possible in order to stop the current flow and prevent the contact material from burning off, if possible. The rapid quenching of the switching arc is of particular importance especially in the case of a short circuit and overload especially since in those cases, the switching arc develops a particularly strong destructive effect due to the high current flow. At the same time, however, a protection switch should have the simplest possible structure, and should be inexpensive to produce, for manufacturing reasons.
Protection switches of the above-mentioned type are produced both in single-pole and multi-pole constructions. In the sense of cost-saving production, multi-pole protection switches are usually implemented in modular fashion from single-pole protection switch modules in each case, with the protection switch modules being abutted end to end for implementing a multi-pole protection switch. Such a modular protection switch is known, for example, from European Patent Application EP 0 538 149 A1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,874.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a protection switch, which overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and which is particularly suitable with respect to the background described above, especially with regard to efficient producibility.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a protection switch, comprising a plurality of single-pole protection switch modules to be joined together in a mechanically coherent unit to form a multi-pole protection switch configuration. Each of the protection switch modules includes a housing, a switching arm, a fixed contact, a moving contact carried by the switching arm and being pivotably movable against the fixed contact between a closed position and an open position, a manual operating mechanism for manually adjusting the switching arm between the closed position and the open position and a tripping mechanism for automatically resetting the switching arm into the open position upon occurrence of a tripping condition. The manual operating mechanisms of all of the protection switch modules are coupled to permit the protection switch modules to only be switched jointly. The tripping mechanisms of all of the protection switch modules are coupled causing the tripping mechanism of each of the protection switch modules to also trip all others of the protection switch modules. A one-piece coupling piece is to be inserted between adjoining protection switch modules for both mechanically fixing the protection switch modules to one another and also effecting coupling of the manual operating mechanisms and the tripping mechanisms of both of the adjoining protection switch modules.
In order to achieve a high degree of prefabrication for protection switches with different numbers of poles, according to the invention, several examples of the signal-pole protection switch module described previously can be combined to form a multi-pole protection switch configuration by fitting these protection switch modules together in each case at their end faces. In this configuration, the protection switch is constructed in a suitable embodiment in such a manner that the protection switch modules joined together form a mechanically coherent unit, on one hand wherein, at the same time, the manual operating mechanism of all of the protection switch modules is coupled so that the protection switch modules can only be switched jointly. At the same time, it is provided that the tripping mechanism of all of the protection switch modules is coupled so that tripping each one of the protection switch modules also trips all other protection switch modules.
According to the invention, a coupling piece is provided for this purpose which serves both for mechanically fixing the protection switch modules to one another and effecting a coupling of the manual operating mechanism and of the tripping mechanism of the adjoining protection switch modules. In a particularly simple embodiment, this coupling piece is constructed of one piece, particularly as an inexpensive molded plastic part.
The switching arm is preferably spring-loaded in the direction of the open position and latchable with a catch of the manual operating mechanism in such a manner that the switching arm can be moved into the closed position against the spring pressure and is held there due to the latching through the use of the manual operating mechanism. Expediently, the tripping mechanism has a trip slider which can be moved by a trip device from a ready position in the direction of a tripped position, i.e. a position assumed by the trip slider in the tripped state.
In order to provide a particularly fast tripping process, i.e. a particularly fast electrical separation of the moving contact and of the fixed contact, the trip slider is preferably constructed in such a manner that, when advancing, it unlatches the switching arm, on one hand, from the catch so that the switching arm is automatically moved in the direction of the open position due to the spring pressure but that the trip slider, on the other hand, also loads the switching arm in the direction of the open position in order to accelerate the resetting of the switching arm into the open position.
In a structurally advantageous embodiment, the trip slider preferably has an unlatching contour for unlatching the switching arm which moves the catch away from an attack position with the switching arm so that the switching arm is released. The trip slider preferably has a corresponding stop for loading, i.e. the “pushing” of the switching arm in the direction of the open position.
In the sense of a particularly fast tripping process, the trip slider is suitably constructed in such a manner that, with progressive advance as part of the tripping process, it realizes its two functions, namely the unlatching of the switching arm from the catch and the “pushing” of the switching arm, approximately simultaneously, with the switching arm first suitably being unlatched and the trip slider immediately thereafter stopping against the switching arm. Such a time period is deemed negligible in the context of the application. In this embodiment or also independently thereof, the protection switch is disposed in such a manner that the trip slider is accelerated during the tripping process before it stops against the switching arm and therefore impinges on the latter with an initial speed different from zero in order to overcome the mechanical inertia of the switching arm as rapidly as possible, making use of the kinetic energy of the trip slider.
In a structurally simple and suitable embodiment of the invention, the switching arm is constructed of two members and includes a contact lever which carries the actual moving contact, and a latch lever which can be latched with the manual operating mechanism. The latch lever is supported pivotably movably on the housing. The contact lever is pivoted on the latch lever through the use of a rotating hinge.
The contact lever is preferably elastically pretensioned with respect to the latch lever in the direction of the closed position, so that the moving contact rests under pretension against the fixed contact when the switching arm is located in its closed position. The flexibility of the switching arm and the pretension have the result that a secure rest of the contacts is always guaranteed even with increasing wear of the contact material on the moving contact and on the fixed contact which is unavoidable in the course of the life of the protection switch. In an embodiment of the invention which is advantageous from the point of view of production, a spring, particularly a tension spring, is provided which pretensions both the contact lever in the direction of the closed position and the switching arm overall in the direction of the open position. This dual function of the spring is achieved by the point of attack of the spring, seen from the moving contact, being disposed behind the rotating hinge at the contact lever.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the trip slider and the switching arm are constructed in such a manner that the trip slider, when it stops against the switching arm, at the same time rotationally fixes the contact lever in its position with respect to the housing. As a result, a situation is avoided in which the switching arm first relaxes (with relative rotation of the contact lever with respect to the latch lever) at the beginning of the resetting phase. This is because that would initially hold the moving contact at the fixed contact and delay the switching process. Instead, in the embodiment of the invention described above, the moving contact, due to the rotational fixing, is lifted away from the fixed contact immediately when the trip slider stops against the switching arm. Due to this embodiment, the so-called response time of the protection switch during short-circuit tripping, i.e. the time between the start of the short-circuit current and the lifting away of the contacts, can be significantly reduced. In particular, a response time of up to approximately 0.5 msec can be achieved. During this process, the short circuit current is effectively already limited in the rising phase.
As an alternative or additionally, the trip slider is preferably disposed with respect to the switching arm in such a manner that it stops against the switching arm, which is located in its closed position, in the area of the rotating hinge. This embodiment is advantageous, on one hand, in the respect that when the tripping slider is stopped, no torque (relative to the latch lever) is exerted on the contact lever so that the kinetic energy of the trip slider is completely wholly used in the acceleration of the switching arm. On the other hand, this embodiment is based on the finding that the position of the rotating hinge, in contrast to the orientation of the contact lever in the closed position, is independent of the wear of the contact material. By selecting the rotating hinge as the starting point for the trip slider, a switching behavior is thus achieved which is constant over the life of the protection switch.
In a preferred variant of the invention, the trip slider is only pushed ahead by the trip device during an initial phase of the tripping process. In an adjoining tripping phase, in contrast, the trip slider is carried along by the switching arm returning into its open position until the trip position is reached. This embodiment takes into consideration that only a comparatively short travel can be achieved by conventional trip devices. In contrast, due to the trip slider being carried along by the switching arm, the distance of advance of the trip slider between the ready position and the trip position is extended. The greater distance of advance of the trip slider is particularly advantageous in this context in order to provide a switching impulse with the trip slider for the coupled tripping of adjoining protection switch modules.
The trip slider is suitably used at the same time for implementing a free tripping of the protection switch. The term free tripping is understood to be a mechanical forced decoupling of the switching arm by the manual operating mechanism which has the effect that the switching arm can be tripped even when the manual operating mechanism is kept in a position corresponding to the closed position of the switching arm, and that the switching arm cannot be adjusted into the closed position through the use of the manual operating mechanism when and as long as the tripping condition exists.
For this purpose, the trip slider is provided, as component part of the unlatching contour, with a slide-up slope on which the catch of the manual operating mechanism is carried and on which the catch is unlatched from the switching arm when the advance of the trip lever is blocked in the direction of the ready position. The slide-up slope is advantageously also used as a force deflector in order to advance the trip slider, during the manual adjustment of the switching arm into its closed position, from the trip position in the direction of the ready position.
In a suitable embodiment, the manual operating mechanism includes a tilting lever on which a coupling rod is eccentrically supported. The coupling rod carries the catch at one free end. The tilting lever is suitably pretensioned, particularly by a torsion spring, in the direction of a first tilted position corresponding to the open position of the switching arm so that the tilting lever, in the unloaded state, always returns by itself into this first tilted position. In contrast, in a second tilted position corresponding to the closed position of the switching arm, the tilting lever is preferably stopped by the catch being latched to the switching arm located in the closed position. The switching arm and the manual operating device are suitably matched to one another in such a manner that when the switching arm returns into the open position and the tilting lever returns into the first tilted position, the catch automatically latches to the switching arm so that the switching arm can immediately be adjusted again without further ado through the use of the manual operating mechanism. In order to ensure secure latching of the coupling rod to the switching arm, the coupling rod is suitably pressed against the switching arm by a spring in the first tilted position. In a structurally particularly simple variant, this spring is formed, in particular, by a spring lug injection molded in one piece on the tilting lever.
The protection switch advantageously includes a short-circuit trip device which is disposed for operating the trip slider as a tripping condition in the case of a short circuit. The short circuit trip device includes a magnetic coil, a magnetic yoke and a magnetic armature which is connected to a plunger provided for advancing the trip slider.
In a short-circuit trip device which is particularly compact with regard to its mounting height and therefore particularly suitable for implementing a flat protection switch module, the magnetic coil is constructed with a substantially rectangular coil cross section.
In order to provide such a compact magnetic coil with a through opening for the plunger in a simple manner with regard to production, a magnetic core of the coil is suitably formed from two adjoining core disks of ferromagnetic material. In this configuration, each of these core disks is provided with a longitudinal slot, with the longitudinal slots of the adjoining core disks complementing one another to form a through opening which is sufficiently large for accommodating the plunger. This division of the magnetic core into two can be advantageously used in any protection switches and any coil cross section with magnetic short-circuit trip devices and is considered to be inventive even by itself.
In addition or as an alternative to the short-circuit trip device, the protection switch advantageously includes an overload trip device. The overload trip device is substantially formed by a bimetallic strip which heats up due to the current flow through the protection switch and in doing so, is deformed in such a manner that it operates the trip slider in the overload case.
In this context, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a projection on the trip slider is provided as a thrust bearing or straining point for the bimetallic strip. This straining point is formed particularly by a cam which can be rotated with respect to the trip slider. This cam is used for adjusting an overload tripping threshold for the overload trip device by varying the distance formed between the straining point or cam, respectively, and the bimetallic strip (particularly in the ready position of the trip slider) by rotating the cam with respect to the trip slider. In particular, the cam can be locked in several defined positions of rotation at the trip slider. In this configuration, the trip slider, in a structurally simple and suitable embodiment, is particularly provided with a holder for supporting the cam which has a notch in the manner of a toothed wheel which, in turn, is engaged by a projection (or arresting tooth) of the cam. The adjusting capability for the overload trip device, described above, can also be advantageously used not only in the protection switch described above but generally with a protection switch with a bimetallic trip device.
The protection switch according to the invention is furthermore preferably equipped with a quenching device for the particularly rapid quenching of a switching arc. The quenching device includes a quenching chamber which has an inlet and an outlet for the arc and side walls extending, for instance, perpendicularly thereto. The quenching device also includes two running rails which are used for guiding the switching arc from the contacts into the switching chamber. In this context, a first running rail connects the fixed contact with a first side wall of the quenching chamber. The second running rail connects a stopping surface at which the moving contact rests in the open position of the switching arm, with the second side wall of the quenching chamber.
The second running rail is in contact with a current supply through which the second running rail is short circuited to the moving contact so that the moving contact and the second running rail are always at the same electrical potential. In this configuration, the second running rail is advantageously in contact with the current supply in such a manner that the contact point between the running rail and the current supply, as seen from the moving contact in the direction of the contact lever, is located behind the stopping surface of the switching arm, or that, in other words, the stopping surface of the switching arm at the second running rail is located between the contact point of this running rail with the current supply and the quenching chamber. Due to this structural configuration it can be achieved that the geometric characteristic of the current conduction within the protection switch is retained even at the transition of the arc from the contacts to the adjoining running rails (also called commutation). In particular, an induction effect caused by the current path, through the use of which the arc is driven in the direction of the quenching chamber due to the electrodynamic interaction, is maintained with respect to its sign in the commutation process so that the course of the arc is not braked during the commutation.
In a structurally simple and inexpensive embodiment which, at the same time, is advantageous with regard to its mechanical stability and symmetric current conduction, the second running rail and the current supply are formed from the same metal strip, with the running rail being cut out of this metal strip in the center in the manner of a lug and being bent out.
In a preferred embodiment, the quenching device is optimized to the extent that a switching arc is rapidly and effectively “sucked into” the quenching chamber without passing through the quenching chamber and arcing back at the outlet or bouncing off at the quenching chamber and arcing back before its inlet. This optimization is achieved, on one hand, by a balanced damming of the outlet of the quenching chamber opposite the inlet, which is suitably selected within a range of about 35% to 50%, preferably about 40% to 45% and especially as about 42%. In this context, damming is the ratio of the free outlet area with respect to the free inlet area. Suitable damming is achieved, in particular, by a separating strip which substantially extends from side wall to side wall of the quenching chamber and, in doing so, separates the outlet of the quenching chamber into two approximately equal partial-areas being molded onto the outlet of the quenching chamber. In this case, the separating strip is aligned approximately perpendicularly to the quenching plates of a stack of quenching plates of the quenching chamber and protrudes over the outlet of the quenching chamber. In this way, the separating strip divides the gas stream leaving the quenching chamber into two partial-streams and in this way reduces the risk that the arc punches through, i.e. arcs back after passing through the quenching chamber.
In addition, or as an alternative, to the separating strip, at least one guide plate is preferably disposed at the output of the quenching chamber, through the use of which the gas stream leaving the quenching chamber is divided and deflected in the direction of a housing opening. It has been found that the guide plate or the guide plates significantly improve the pressure and flow conditions at the outlet of the quenching chamber and thus further reduce the risk of back arcing of the arc before the outlet or inlet, respectively, of the quenching chamber. Preferably, several guide plates are provided over the areas of the outlet (i.e. from side wall to side wall) and, if necessary, on both sides of the separating strip. The guide plate or each guide plate is formed, in particular, of plastic and is molded onto the inside of the housing in a variant of the invention which is advantageous with respect to production.
In a further advantageous variant of the invention, an arc running space formed between the running rails is limited by a cover plate, at least towards one housing end face.
The cover plate or each cover plate, in turn, is disposed at a distance from the housing so that a duct which is approximately run in parallel with the arc running space is formed between a cover plate and the housing. This embodiment of the invention is based on the finding that the arc, on its way along the running rails, due to sudden heating of the air, pushes along a pressure wave in front of it which can impede the arc from running into the quenching chamber whereas, on the other hand, an underpressure is produced in the area of the contacts which may suck the arc back into the contact area in an undesirable manner. This problem is prevented by the duct run on the other side of the cover plate or each cover plate, especially since due to this duct, a pressure equalization can take place during the running of the arc. In order to promote this pressure equalization, the cover plate or each cover plate is preferably constructed in such a manner that the pressure compensating duct limited by this cover plate is open, on one hand, towards the inlet of the quenching chamber and, on the other hand, towards an end of the arc running space facing the contacts.
In a further structural simplification of the protection switch, the first running rail is preferably constructed integrally with the magnetic yoke of the short-circuit trip device, i.e. as a part of the latter or mechanically integrally coherent with the latter. In order to obtain the geometric characteristic of the current path within the protection switch during the commutation of the arc onto the running rails in this configuration, the magnetic yoke is suitably interrupted by a gap in an area adjoining the outlet of the quenching chamber.
A further structural simplification of the protection switch is preferably achieved by the fact that the second running rail or the current supply connected to it is used as carrier for the bimetallic strip of the overload trip device.
The above-described features of the quenching device, individually or in any desired combination, are likewise inherently considered already to be inventive. The above-described quenching device interacts synergistically with the above-described switch latch in the manner of a particularly fast switching process, but can also be used advantageously with other protection switches while at least partially maintaining its advantages.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the protection switch, the latter includes a signal relay which can be operated through the use of the trip slider in order to indicate its position and thus the switching state of the protection switch.
In order to at least partially cover the end faces of a single-pole or multi-pole protection switch lying on the outside, a dummy lid is also optionally provided which can be modularly placed onto this outside housing end face instead of the coupling piece in the manner of a building block system.
In order to connect an electrical conductor, the protection switch module or each protection switch module has a supply connection which is electrically connected to the fixed contact in the interior of the module. The supply connection of each protection switch module preferably has a coupling contact through the use of which several adjoining protection switch modules of a multi-pole protection switch configuration can be connected in parallel through the use of a current rail. This dispenses with the requirement of having to separately wire each protection switch module at the input end. Instead, all of the protection switch modules are supplied through a common current feed line in a manner of a current distributor.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the protection switch, each protection switch module also has two signal connections for connecting conductors which are electrically connected to the signal relay inside the module. A coupling contact through which the signal connections of different protection switch modules can be electrically interconnected is also suitably connected in parallel with these signal connections in each case.
The coupling contact or each coupling contact in this configuration is disposed in a housing slot which spans the entire housing width so that a current rail constructed as a profile component can be inserted into the housing slots for bridging the coupling contacts of adjoining protection switch modules. In order to improve the operational reliability of the protection switch, the housing slot or each housing slot in this configuration is dimensioned with regard to its dimensioning, i.e. its opening side and depth, in such a manner that the coupling contact is accommodated to the housing in a finger-proof manner.
In order to prevent accidental contact with the end of such a current rail at an external end face of a protection switch module, the protection switch preferably also includes a closing strip of insulating material which can be inserted flush with each housing end face into the housing slot and, in the inserted state, closes the housing slot off towards this end face.
In a preferred development of this embodiment, the housing slot or each housing slot has at each housing end face a guide strip which preferably runs around at least a part of the end face edge of the housing slot but at least protrudes into the space left by the housing slot from both slot walls. On one hand, this guide strip, by form-locking engagement in a corresponding guide notch of the closing strip, is used for fixing the latter at the housing in the inserted state. A form-locking connection is one which connects two elements together due to the shape of the elements themselves, as opposed to a force-locking connection, which locks the elements together by force external to the elements. An advantageous secondary function is fulfilled by the guide strip when no closing strip is inserted into the housing slot, in that the guide strip reduces the slot width at the housing edge at the end face and, as a result, the risk of accidental contact with the coupling contacts accommodated in the housing slot is further reduced.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a protection switch, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which parts and magnitudes corresponding to one another are always provided with the same reference symbols in all of the figures, and first, particularly, to
Single-pole constructions of the protection switch 1 as shown, in particular, in
According to
In the single-pole embodiment of the protection switch 1, a dummy lid 15a or 15b which closes the housing 3 towards the outside in the area of the pivoted lever 7 is snapped onto each end face 14a, 14b of the housing 3. Each dummy lid 15a, 15b is snapped with three holding projections 16 in the corresponding receptacles 17 of the housing 3. As can be seen from
As can also be seen from
A housing opening 23 is provided in the side face 22a, through which a supply connection 24 is accessible for connecting an electrical supply conductor. The opposite side face 22b is provided with a further housing opening 25 through which a load connection 26 is accessible. Each side face 22a, 22b is additionally provided with one respective housing opening 27a and 27b in each case, through which a respective corresponding signal connection 28a and 28b is respectively accessible. A coupling contact 29 is connected in parallel with the supply connection 24. The coupling contact 29 is made accessible from the outside through a housing slot 30. The housing slot 30 extends over the entire housing width, i.e. from the end face 14a to an opposite end face 14b, and is open towards both end faces 14a and 14b. Similarly, a further coupling connection 31a and 31b is connected in parallel with each respective signal connection 28a and 28b, with each of the coupling connections 31a and 31b being accessible through a further respective housing slot 32a and 32b.
Each housing slot 30, 32a, 32b is dimensioned in such a manner that the coupling contact 29 and 31a, 31b respectively disposed therein in each case is hidden in finger-proof manner and that the required leakage paths to the housing surface are maintained. This is achieved by the housing slots being constructed to be particularly narrow and deep. The slot depth is about 20 mm in the case of the housing slot 30 and about 10 mm in the case of the housing slots 32a, 32b. The free slot width is about 4 mm in the case of the housing slot 30 and is reduced to about 1 mm towards the outside in the rear area by guide strips 134 which flank the coupling contact 29 on both sides (see
In
The functional parts of the protection switch module 2 are substantially disposed as a switch latch 40 and a quenching device 41. The switch latch 40, in turn, can be disposed in three functional subgroups, namely a manual operating mechanism 42, a switching arm 43 and a trip mechanism 44.
The manual operating mechanism 42 is substantially formed by the pivoted lever 7 and a coupling rod 45, the free end of which is bent away approximately at right angles to form a catch 46. The manual operating mechanism 42 also includes a torsion spring 47.
The switching arm 43 is constructed with two elements and includes a contact lever 48 and a latch lever 49 which has a latch 51 interacting with the catch 46 at a rear lever end 50. The switching arm 43 is pretensioned by a tension spring 52.
The trip mechanism 44 includes a trip slider 53, an overload trip or trip device 55 substantially formed of a bimetallic strip 54, and an electromagnetic short circuit trip or trip device 56 which includes a magnetic coil 57 with a magnetic core formed of two core discs 58, a magnetic yoke 59 and a magnetic armature 60. In this configuration, the magnetic armature 60 is connected to a rod-shaped plunger 61 of plastic and is pretensioned by a compression spring 62.
The quenching device 41 includes a quenching chamber 63 with a packet, inserted therein, of quenching plates 64 disposed in parallel with one another and a first running rail 65 and second running rail 66. In this configuration, the running rail 65 is constructed integrally with the magnetic yoke 59. The running rail 66, together with a current supply 67, is formed as an integrally coherent metal part, with the current supply 67 at the same time forming a carrier for the bimetallic strip 54. The quenching device 41 also includes two cover plates 68a and 68b and guide plates 69 (see
The protection switch module 2 also includes a signal contact device which is substantially formed by a signal relay 71 that is interconnected with the signal connections 28a and 28b and the coupling contacts 31a and 31b which are in each case connected in parallel.
In the assembled state, the latch lever 49 of the switching arm 43 is supported pivotably around a housing-fixed hinge pin 80. The contact lever 48, in turn, is pivoted at a hinge 81 at the latch lever 49 so that the switching arm 43 has a certain flexibility per se. The relative mobility of the contact lever 48 with respect to the latch lever 49 is limited by an elongated hole 82 at a rear end 83 of the contact lever 84 through which the hinge pin 80 protrudes.
The free end of the contact level 48, opposite to the rear end 83, forms the moving contact 84 which interacts with a fixed contact 85 for switching a circuit. The fixed contact 85 is attached at a top of the magnetic yoke 59 on the shoulder of the running rail 65 integrally connected to it.
The tension spring 52 (which is also only diagrammatically indicated in
In this configuration, the position of the latch arm 49 in this closed position is selected in such a manner that the switching arm 43 is “pressed through” to a certain extent during the closing so that the contact lever 48 is thus braced with respect to the latch lever 49. The result of this bracing is that the moving contact 84 always rests against the fixed contact 85 at a pretension in the closed position. In this way, a progressively increasing consumption of contact material in the course of the life of the protection switch module 2 is compensated by the resilience of the contact lever 48.
The pivoted lever 7 is supported pivotably around a housing-fixed swivel pin 88 between a first pivoted position shown in
The pivoted lever 7 is pretensioned in the direction of the first pivoted position by the torsion spring 47 so that it is deflected against the spring pressure of the torsion spring 47 in the second pivoted position. The rocker guide 91 in this case is disposed in such a manner that in the second pivoted position, the active connection between the catch 46 and the fixed end 89 conveyed through the coupling rod 45 extends above (i.e. on the side facing the handle 6) the swivel pin 88 so that the pivoted lever 7 is held in the second pivoted position against the restoring force of the torsion spring 47 due to the locking of the catch 46 to the latch 51 of the locking arm 43. The manual operating mechanism 42 and the switching arm 43 are thus coupled to one another through the latching of the catch 46 to the latch 51 in such a manner that they stabilize mutually in the closed position or the second pivoted position, respectively, against the respective restoring force of the tension spring 52 and of the torsion spring 47.
The core component of the trip mechanism 42 is the trip slider 53 which is operated both by the bimetallic strip 54 of the overload trip device 55 and by the plunger 61 of the short circuit trip 56 and which, under actuation by one of the trips 55 or 56, effects the resetting of the switching arm 43 from the closed position into the open position. The trip slider 53 influences this resetting process in two ways, on one hand by unlatching the switching arm 53 from the catch 46 and thus initiating the automatic resetting process of the switching arm 43 under the action of the tension spring 52, and, on the other hand, by “giving a push” to the switching arm 43, that is to say imparting impulse to it so that the inertia of the switching arm 43 is overcome more rapidly during the resetting and the switching process is thus accelerated.
The tripping process for the short circuit case is illustrated in the manner of “snapshots” in
Each of the core discs 58 is provided with a longitudinal slot. The core discs 58 in this configuration are placed next to one another in such a manner that the longitudinal slots complement each other to form a lead through in which the plunger 61 rests slidingly. The plunger 61 is joined with the magnetic armature 60 and is pushed forward against the trip slider 53 when the former moves. In doing so, it stops against a stop surface 92 of the trip slider 53 and with continued advance lifts the trip slider 53 out of the ready position shown in
The trip slider 53 has an unlatching contour 93 in order to unlatch the catch 46 from the latch 51. The unlatching contour 93 is provided with a recess 94 which is engaged by the coupling rod 45 with the catch 46 so that the catch 46 is pulled away from the latch 51 of the latch lever 49 by the advance of the trip slider 53.
The trip slider 53 is also provided with a projection which is used as a stop 95 for impinging on the switching arm 43. Simultaneously with or immediately after the unlatching of the switching arm 43, this (first) stop 95 impinges on the former and accelerates the switching arm 43 in the direction of its open position. In particular, the geometry of the trip slider 53 is dimensioned in such a manner that the stop 95 comes to rest against the switching arm 43 at a time at which the switching arm 43 has not yet released its tension. The switching arm 43, in turn, is constructed in such a manner that the stop 95 stops against the contact lever 48 (and not against the latch lever 49). The rotational mobility of the contact lever 48 is blocked by the friction of the contact lever 48 with the stop 95. This prevents the switching arm 43 from releasing its tension before the moving contact 84 lifts away from the fixed contact 85. Instead, the contact lever 48 is lifted immediately when the trip slider 53 hits (see
In particular, the trip slider 53 is disposed in such a manner that the stop 95 impinges on the switching arm 43 in the area of the hinge 81 so that no torque relative to the latch lever 49 is transmitted to the contact lever 48 by the stop 95. The contact lever 48 protrudes over the latch lever 49 in the radial direction in the area of the hinge 81 which ensures that the stop 95 impinges on the contact lever 48.
As is shown in
Before the contact lever 43 reaches its open position, it impinges on a second stop 96 of the trip slider 53, again in the area of the hinge 81, and takes it along with continued withdrawal into the open position.
Once the catch 46 with the latch 51 is unlatched during the tripping process, the pivoted lever 7 is also no longer held in the second pivoted position and returns into the first pivoted position under the action of the torsion spring 47. During this process, the catch 46 is pushed out of the recess 94 of the unlatching contour 93 and slides down the slide-up slope 98 until it locks in again behind the latch 51. The locking-in of the catch 46 behind the latch 51 is ensured by a spring lug 72 (
In the course of the tripping process described above, a switching arc arises between the fixed contact 85 and the moving contact 84 lifting away from the former. The arc leads to great heating and, in the long term, to a burning-off of the contacts 84 and 85. In this context, the quenching device 41 is used for rapidly and effectively quenching the arc.
When the contacts 84 and 85 open, the current flow within the contact lever 48, the arc path and the path of the magnetic yoke 95 opposite the contact lever 48 act as a current loop. This current loop exerts an induction force on the arc which drives the arc in the direction of the quenching chamber 63.
When the switching arm 43 impinges on the stopping surface 97, the conductive connection between the bimetallic strip 54, the stranded connection 87a (
In consideration of the electrodynamic effect of the current path, the magnetic yoke 59 in which the running rail 65 is integrated is not closed circularly around the magnetic coil 57, either. Instead, the magnetic yoke 59 is interrupted at an underside facing the magnetic armature 60 by a narrow air gap 99 (
Overall, the geometric characteristic of the current flow within the protection switch module 2 and the resultant induction effect is retained over the entire tripping process up to the extension of the arc.
Under the induction effect, the arc becomes detached from the contacts 84 and 85 after the contact lever 48 impinges on the stopping surface 97, and moves to the adjoining running rails 65 and 66. This process is called commutation. The arc subsequently wanders along the running rails 65 and 66, still under the influence of the electrodynamic forces, in an arc running space 101 formed between them (
The arc enters into the quenching chamber 63 through the inlet 102 and is divided into a number of partial arcs by the quenching plates 64. The quenching plates 64 promote the quenching of the arc in a manner known per se in that the total voltage dropped across the entire arc gap is multiplied and the arc is cooled.
Due to the arc, the air is greatly heated locally as a result of which a pressure wave is produced in the arc running space 101 which is pushed before the arc during its propagation in direction of the quenching chamber 63. In order to prevent this pressure wave from impeding the entry of the arc into the quenching chamber 63 or the negative pressure produced after the cooling of the air from sucking the arc back into the area of the contacts 84 and 85, the quenching device 41 is provided with an air balancing system, the operation of which is illustrated diagrammatically in
The quenching chamber 63 has an outlet 106 (
The damming is substantially caused by a separating strip 107 of insulating material which is molded onto the outlet 106 of the quenching chamber 63 and protrudes from there in the direction of propagation P. This separating strip 107 also produces a separation of the gas stream leaving the quenching chamber 63 into two partial-streams and thus further impedes an arcing-back of the arc.
The gas stream experiences a further subdivision into (diagrammatically indicated) partial-streams T1 to T8 by the guide plates 69 molded onto the housing 3, three of which in each case flank the separating strip 107 on both sides. The guide plates 69 also divert the partial-streams T1 to T8 in the direction of the side face 22b (i.e. approximately towards the observer in the representation according to
In the overload case, tripping occurs basically in the same manner as in the short circuit case described above. However, the trip slider 53 is advanced in this case not by the plunger 61 of the short circuit trip device 56 but by the bimetallic strip 54 of the overload trip device 55 which heats up due to the overload current and, in doing so, bends outward in such a manner that its free end 110 (
In order to adjust the tripping threshold of the protection switch module 2 in the overload case, the toe 111 is constructed in two parts and includes a holder 112 molded onto the trip slider 53 (
In order to operate the signal relay 71, the trip slider 53 also includes an extension arm 116 (
A handling coupling 123 is molded on this body 121, on one hand, and a release coupling 124 is molded on, on the other hand. The handling coupling 123 is molded pivotably on the body 121 through a film hinge 125 and, in an assembly state shown in
Through the use of a one-piece component, both mechanical fixing of the protection switch module 2 and dynamic coupling both of the manual operating mechanism 42 and of the trip mechanism 44 of both protection switch modules 2 is thus achieved by the coupling piece 120.
In order to reinforce the mechanical fixing, the protection switch modules 2 are additionally connected to one another by clamps 128 at the side faces 22a, 22b and the rear 8.
The respective outside end faces 14a, 14b of the protection switch modules 2 are covered by a dummy lid 15a (and 15b, respectively) in each case. Further front covers 129, which close off the area of the front 4, are disposed in each case around the pivoted lever 7 between the protection switch modules 2.
As a rule, dynamic coupling of the individual protection switch modules 2 is not required in the case of a current distributor. According to
The current rail 130 is provided with a back cover 131 of insulating material. In the inserted state, only this back cover 131 protrudes at the side face 22a and closes off the housing slot 30 towards this side face 22a in a contact-proof manner (
Each closing strip 132 is provided with a guide groove 133 running around its edge. The closing strip 132 is pushed with this guide groove 133 onto the guide strip 134 which runs around the edge of the housing slot 30 on each end face 14a, 14b. One closing strip 132 each is preferably molded onto the rear 8 of the housing 3 of each protection switch module 2 through a predetermined breaking point so that it can be broken off if necessary and pushed into the housing slot 30.
In
The current rail pieces 135a and 135b can be used alternatively or in any combination in order to interconnect the signal circuits of the protection switch modules 2 with one another.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2006 027 140 | Jun 2006 | DE | national |
This is a continuation, under 35 U.S.C. §120, of copending International Application No. PCT/EP2006/009296, filed Sep. 25, 2006, which designated the United States; this application also claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of German Patent Application DE 10 2006 027 140.8, filed Jun. 12, 2006; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090160586 A1 | Jun 2009 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP2006/009296 | Sep 2006 | US |
| Child | 12333901 | US |
