Patent Grant
9293271
The present application hereby claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to German patent application number DE 102014204749.8 filed Mar. 14, 2014, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
At least one embodiment of the present invention generally relates to a switch apparatus of an electrical circuit breaker for interrupting a current flow of an electric current in an electrical circuit in the event of the occurrence of a tripping event and/or to an electrical circuit breaker having a switch apparatus.
It is known in principle that electrical circuit breakers, which can be configured, for example, in the form of a compact circuit breaker (MCCB=molded case circuit breaker) or an open circuit breaker (ACB=air circuit breaker), can also have, in addition to a thermal magnetic trip unit (TMTU), for example, a switch apparatus and advantageously a double-break switch apparatus for interrupting a current flow of an electric current in an electrical circuit in the event of the occurrence of a tripping event, such as, for example, a short-circuit current or an overload current.
In order to interrupt the current flow of the electric current, the switch apparatus, which has, for example, a double-break multifinger contact system, is therefore rotated or pivoted about a rotation axis by way of a rotor element in such a way that the contact between the current-conducting contact rails and the multifinger contact system is interrupted. On the basis of the interruption of the current flow of the electric current, consumers or loads connected to the electrical circuit are advantageously protected from damage in the event of the occurrence of the tripping event.
Furthermore, it is known in principle that double-break contact systems and in particular double-break multifinger contact systems in a circuit breaker make it possible to connect two arcs in series and therefore enable a greater switch-off capacity. In particular, a compact circuit breaker is used, for example, for implementing a dual function, namely protecting an installation from overload and short-circuit currents and protecting lines and electrical operating devices from damage as a result of ground faults, for example. The thermal magnetic trip unit of the circuit breaker has, in a known manner, firstly a thermal tripping apparatus for protecting the electrical circuit or an electrical apparatus or an electrical device from damage owing to an overload, and secondly a magnetic tripping apparatus for protecting the electrical circuit or an electrical apparatus or an electrical device from damage owing to a short circuit.
A short circuit and in particular an electrical short circuit is generally known as an accidental or unintentionally occurring conductive connection between two or more conductive parts, and primarily between two nodes of the electrical circuit, as a result of which the electrical potential differences between these conductive parts drop to a value equal to zero or virtually zero. In particular in relation to a circuit breaker, a short circuit is an abnormal connection between two isolated phases which are intended to be isolated or insulated from one another. A short circuit results in the presence of an excessive electric current, namely an overcurrent, which can result in damage to, overheating of, a fire in or even an explosion of the electrical circuit and/or the consumer. An overload is a less extreme state in comparison with the short circuit and is rather a longer-term overcurrent state.
When using a switch apparatus comprising a double-break (multifinger) contact system, there is the problem of uniform distribution of the contact pressure among the at least two fixedly installed contacts, with which contact is made by way of the double-break contact system or the at least two switching levers. In particular owing to manufacturing tolerances or else owing to wear over the life of the switch apparatus, the position of the movable contact of the double-break switching lever can change in relation to the fixedly installed contacts. However, it is necessary for the uniform force and position distribution of the interacting contact elements to still be provided even after a large number of switching cycles and also independently of corresponding manufacturing tolerances of the individual component parts, in order to avoid different resistances at the individual contact points of the contact system. In particular when using multifinger contact systems, and in particular double-break multifinger contact systems, it is necessary for there to be such a low resistance in the case of the at least two current phases arranged parallel to one another that, advantageously, a uniform current flow distribution among the individual current phases of the multifinger contact system can be made possible, as a result of which advantageously in turn less power losses result and heating of the entire switching apparatus can be avoided.
Therefore, at least one embodiment of the present invention resides in at least partially eliminating the above-described disadvantages in the case of a switch apparatus, and in particular a double-break multifinger switch apparatus. Accordingly, at least one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a switch apparatus by which at least approximately identical contact forces can be generated in the course of double-break multifinger contact systems and, as a result, asymmetries which can arise owing to the tolerances of the component parts themselves and/or owing to the operational response of the switch apparatus, for example, can be compensated for in a simpler and less expensive manner and in a manner which ensures process reliability.
A switch apparatus of an electrical circuit breaker of an embodiment, for interrupting a current flow of an electric current in an electrical circuit in the event of the occurrence of a tripping event, includes at least one force transfer element, which has, in touching sections for touching the contact lever arms of a contact lever of the switch apparatus, a bulge which extends radially outwards for uniform transfer of a spring force onto the contact lever arms. Furthermore, an embodiment of the present invention is achieved by a switch apparatus of an electrical circuit breaker for interrupting a current flow of an electric current in an electrical circuit in the event of the occurrence of a tripping event, wherein the switch apparatus has at least one holding element for holding at least one spring element for applying a spring force, wherein the holding element is configured so as to be movable relative to the power line elements for conducting electric current by way of an articulated bearing.
In addition, an embodiment is directed to an electrical circuit breaker for interrupting a current flow of an electric current in an electrical circuit, which circuit breaker includes at least one switch apparatus.
Accordingly, the switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention advantageously has at least one force transfer element and particularly advantageously a first force transfer element and a second force transfer element, which are each used for applying a spring force to the individual contact lever arms. In this case, the first force transfer element is advantageously arranged in a region of the first contact lever arms of the contact levers arranged next to one another, wherein the first contact lever arms extend in a common direction, starting from the center point of the contact lever through which the rotation axis extends, with the result that the two first contact lever arms advantageously extend along two planes running parallel to one another, advantageously in an identical direction. Accordingly, the second force transfer element is arranged in the region of the second contact lever arms of the contact levers arranged next to one another, wherein the second contact lever arms extend along two mutually parallel planes, starting from the center point of the contact lever through which the rotation axis extends, with the result that the two second contact lever arms are oriented parallel to one another and extend in an identical direction.
Embodiments of a switch apparatus according to the invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to drawings, in which, in each case schematically:
Elements with the same function and mode of operation are provided in each case with the same reference symbols in
Various example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which only some example embodiments are shown. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing example embodiments. The present invention, however, may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the example embodiments set forth herein.
Accordingly, while example embodiments of the invention are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit example embodiments of the present invention to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description of the figures.
Before discussing example embodiments in more detail, it is noted that some example embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flowcharts. Although the flowcharts describe the operations as sequential processes, many of the operations may be performed in parallel, concurrently or simultaneously. In addition, the order of operations may be re-arranged. The processes may be terminated when their operations are completed, but may also have additional steps not included in the figure. The processes may correspond to methods, functions, procedures, subroutines, subprograms, etc.
Methods discussed below, some of which are illustrated by the flow charts, may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks will be stored in a machine or computer readable medium such as a storage medium or non-transitory computer readable medium. A processor(s) will perform the necessary tasks.
Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing example embodiments of the present invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or,” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected,” or “coupled,” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected,” or “directly coupled,” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between,” versus “directly between,” “adjacent,” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms “and/or” and “at least one of” include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
Portions of the example embodiments and corresponding detailed description may be presented in terms of software, or algorithms and symbolic representations of operation on data bits within a computer memory. These descriptions and representations are the ones by which those of ordinary skill in the art effectively convey the substance of their work to others of ordinary skill in the art. An algorithm, as the term is used here, and as it is used generally, is conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of optical, electrical, or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.
In the following description, illustrative embodiments may be described with reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations (e.g., in the form of flowcharts) that may be implemented as program modules or functional processes include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types and may be implemented using existing hardware at existing network elements. Such existing hardware may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific-integrated-circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computers or the like.
Note also that the software implemented aspects of the example embodiments may be typically encoded on some form of program storage medium or implemented over some type of transmission medium. The program storage medium (e.g., non-transitory storage medium) may be magnetic (e.g., a floppy disk or a hard drive) or optical (e.g., a compact disk read only memory, or “CD ROM”), and may be read only or random access. Similarly, the transmission medium may be twisted wire pairs, coaxial cable, optical fiber, or some other suitable transmission medium known to the art. The example embodiments not limited by these aspects of any given implementation.
It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, or as is apparent from the discussion, terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” of “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device/hardware, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical, electronic quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, term such as “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.
Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, it should be understood that these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
The switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention of an electrical circuit breaker for interrupting a current flow of an electric current in an electrical circuit in the event of the occurrence of a tripping event includes at least two contact levers, which are arranged rotatably about a common rotation axis and are arranged, at least sectionally, parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another, which contact levers each have two contact lever arms comprising contact sections for making contact with in each case one fixed mating contact section of a power line element, wherein the two first contact lever arms, which extend on a first side of the rotation axis, make contact with a first force transfer element, and the two contact lever arms, which extend on a second side of the rotation axis, make contact with a second force transfer element for applying a spring force to the contact lever arms, and wherein at least one force transfer element of the two force transfer elements has, in touching sections for touching the contact lever arms, a bulge which extends radially outwards for the uniform transfer of the spring force onto the contact lever arms.
Accordingly, it is conceivable for the force transfer element to be able to have two or else more touching sections, in particular when the switch apparatus is one which has two or more contact levers. Advantageously, the switch apparatus therefore serves the purpose of isolating an electrical consumer or an electrical device or a load which is connected to the electrical circuit from the electrical circuit and therefore of interrupting the electrical circuit in the event of a tripping event, which may be, for example, a short-circuit current or an overload current, in such a way that said electrical consumer is not damaged.
For this purpose, the switch apparatus has at least two contact levers, which each have two contact lever arms. The contact lever or switching lever which is used for opening or for closing the electrical circuit is arranged rotatably or pivotably about a rotation axis. The two contact lever arms of the individual contact lever each extend outwards and advantageously diametrically outwards, starting from the center of the contact lever and in particular the region arranged or rotatably arranged on the rotation axis.
Accordingly, the first contact lever arm of the contact lever has a contact section, which is oriented in a first direction, for making contact with a fixed mating contact section, while the second contact lever arm of the contact lever has a contact section which is oriented in a second direction, which is opposite the first direction, in order to make contact with another mating contact section of a further power line element or a further section of the power line element. Therefore, the two contact sections of the contact lever lie on mutually opposite sides of the contact lever. As a result, simultaneous detachment of the two contact sections from the respective mating contact sections is made possible advantageously in the case of pivoting or rotation of the contact lever about a rotation axis. On the basis of this mutual detachment, in an embodiment of the present invention reference is made to a double-break switch system or a double-break switch apparatus.
The power line elements themselves are advantageously current-conducting lines for conducting the electric current of the electrical circuit, wherein the circuit breaker advantageously has a power supply line or a power supply line element and an outgoing power line element, between which the switch apparatus is arranged. The switch apparatus during normal operation serves the purpose of conducting the electric current coming from the power supply line element in the direction of the outgoing power line element and, in the case of the occurrence of the tripping event, interrupting this current conduction.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the switch apparatus therefore has a multifinger contact system and in particular a double-break multifinger contact system, wherein a multifinger contact system is characterized by the use of at least two contact levers, wherein each contact lever has two contact lever arms and therefore two contact sections for making contact with a mating contact section of a power supply element and an outgoing power line element, as a result of which, in turn, a double-break switch apparatus can be realized. Advantageously, the switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention therefore has two contact levers, which are arranged next to one another and advantageously, at least sectionally, spaced apart from one another, with the result that two or more contact points, consisting of a contact section and a mating contact section, can be realized per switching side.
In order to enable compensation for the contact forces per contact point, and therefore to realize uniform current distribution among the two contact levers arranged next to one another, it is necessary to press the contact sections of the contact lever arms of the contact levers onto the mating contact sections of the respective power line elements with a correspondingly comparable force in order to enable the occurrence of a low resistance between the contact sections and the mating contact sections. Advantageously, this is intended to be made possible without the individual contact lever arms of the contact levers, which contact lever arms are arranged parallel to one another, needing to each have individual spring-loading.
Accordingly, the switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention advantageously has at least one force transfer element and particularly advantageously a first force transfer element and a second force transfer element, which are each used for applying a spring force to the individual contact lever arms. In this case, the first force transfer element is advantageously arranged in a region of the first contact lever arms of the contact levers arranged next to one another, wherein the first contact lever arms extend in a common direction, starting from the center point of the contact lever through which the rotation axis extends, with the result that the two first contact lever arms advantageously extend along two planes running parallel to one another, advantageously in an identical direction. Accordingly, the second force transfer element is arranged in the region of the second contact lever arms of the contact levers arranged next to one another, wherein the second contact lever arms extend along two mutually parallel planes, starting from the center point of the contact lever through which the rotation axis extends, with the result that the two second contact lever arms are oriented parallel to one another and extend in an identical direction.
Advantageously, each force transfer element is arranged on that side of the contact lever arms which is opposite the side on which the contact section is arranged. Accordingly, for example, when a spring force and in particular a compressive force is applied to the force transfer element, this force can be applied to the contact lever arms of the respective contact levers via the force transfer element in such a way that, as a result, the contact section of the contact lever arms can be pressed onto the respective principally fixed mating contact section of the power line element. In order to enable uniform transfer of force, and in particular of spring force, onto the individual contact lever arms and therefore onto the individual contact sections of the contact lever arms, independently of wear phenomena on the contact sections or mating contact sections and/or independently of individual manufacturing tolerances of the corresponding component parts, the force transfer element has, in accordance with the invention, at least one bulge, which extends radially outwards and is arranged in one of the advantageously two touching sections of the force transfer element.
Each touching section preferably makes direct contact with a contact lever arm of a contact lever and in particular with one side of the contact lever arm of a contact lever. The bulge or bulges of the force transfer element can in this case advantageously extend in a circumferential direction and have, for example, a spherical or triangular or egg-shaped or oval configuration. Advantageously, the force transfer element has two bulges of the abovementioned type, which are arranged spaced apart from one another and advantageously have the same configuration. It is thus possible for the bulges of the force transfer element to be configured in such a way that, when contact is made with the bulges, and in particular the touching sections of the force transfer element by the respective contact lever arm, a force and in particular a spring force can be applied to the individual contact lever arms of the individual contact levers in such a way that each contact lever arm, and in particular the two first contact lever arms of the contact levers or the two second contact lever arms of the contact levers, have a physical lever arm which is identical to one another. Within the scope of the invention, a physical lever arm or a lever arm or a lever is understood to mean a spacing between the center point through which the rotation axis of the lever arm passes and the point of action of the force or the spring force which presses onto the sides of the lever arms.
It is furthermore conceivable for the force transfer element to be arranged tiltably via its bulge relative to the power line elements. This means that the force transfer element or else the force transfer elements which has/have a longitudinal axis which extends advantageously substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the contact lever, wherein the force transfer element is advantageously configured in the form of a cylinder or a pin, can be tilted along the contact lever arms in such a way that the longitudinal axis of the force transfer element is oriented at a defined angle to the rotation axis of the contact lever. As a result, the force transfer element or the at least two force transfer elements of the switching apparatus is/are arranged movably with respect to the power line elements. Advantageously, at least one of the force transfer elements does not have a bearing region, but extends freely movably over the corresponding contact lever arms of the contact levers, with the result that the longitudinal axis of the force transfer elements is therefore oriented substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the contact lever arms.
It is furthermore conceivable for at least one bulge of the advantageously two bulges to have a spherical configuration, an elliptical configuration, a pyramidal configuration, a conical configuration, a cubical configuration, a prismatic configuration or a cylindrical configuration. Within the scope of the invention, it is conceivable for the bulge itself to consist of an amalgamation of a plurality of bulges and advantageously two bulges of the abovementioned type, wherein the bulges or sections of the bulge are next to one another in a row along the longitudinal axis of the force transfer element. It is furthermore possible for the bulge to not be restricted to a defined configuration, with the result that the bulge can have any configuration.
Advantageously, the bulge is configured in such a way that a defined force point can be generated between the bulge and, as a result, the respective touching section of the force transfer element and the corresponding contact lever arms of the contact levers. Advantageously, the bulge extends at least sectionally in the circumferential direction around the force transfer element and particularly advantageously in the complete circumferential direction around the force transfer element, at least in the region of the corresponding touching section, with the result that, taking into consideration a poka-yoke principle, faulty or incorrect application of the force transfer element in the region of the contact lever arms can be avoided.
Within the scope of embodiments of the invention, it is furthermore possible for the spring force to be applied to the force transfer elements in each case by at least two spring elements, wherein the spring elements each extend between the respective force transfer element and a holding element for holding the spring elements. The holding element advantageously serves the purpose of holding at least one spring element and advantageously two spring elements, which can be a tension spring, for example, and in particular of positioning said spring element(s) with respect to the contact lever arms or the contact levers.
Advantageously, the holding element itself has a cylindrical and in particular a pin-shaped configuration, whose longitudinal axis extends substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the contact levers. Advantageously, the holding element is connected in rotationally fixed fashion to a holding arm, which is fixed on a housing of the switch apparatus, for example. However, it is also conceivable for the holding element itself to be a component part of the housing of the switch apparatus into which, for example, the spring element is hooked in or locked, at least with a first side.
Advantageously, the holding element is arranged immovably or in rotationally rigid fashion (rotationally fixed fashion). Within the scope of embodiments of the invention, it is advantageously possible to assign a holding element to each force transfer element, wherein the force transfer element is arranged on a first side of the lever arm, while the holding element is arranged on a second side opposite the first side. Advantageously, the holding element is arranged on that side of the contact lever arm on which the contact section for making contact with the mating contact section of the power line element is also arranged. It is therefore conceivable for the holding element to be understood as a mating element for the force transfer element, wherein at least one spring element and advantageously two spring elements are arranged between the force transfer element and the holding element, which is assigned correspondingly to the force transfer element, which spring element(s) extend(s) from the force transfer element to the holding element, therefore.
Furthermore, it is conceivable for the holding elements or at least one of the holding elements to be arranged movably relative to the power line elements by way of an articulated bearing. The articulated bearing itself is in this case advantageously a revolute joint or a swivel joint and enables a rotary movement or pivoting movement of the holding element about a pivot axis. Accordingly, it is possible for advantageously the force transfer element and also the holding element itself to be arranged movably with respect to the power line elements and to be able to pivot or move, at least sectionally, about corresponding pivot axes in order to enable simple compensation for asymmetries in the switch apparatus and uniform application of a contact-pressure force between the individual contact sections and mating contact sections. The revolute joint or swivel joint can be a ball joint, for example.
It is furthermore conceivable for the touching sections of the force transfer elements to each have at least one touching point for touching the contact lever arms, wherein the touching points generate an identical (physical) lever arm independently of the positioning of the force transfer elements and/or of the contact lever arms relative to the power line elements on each contact lever arm. In this case, it is conceivable for the touching points to be able to form a touching area and/or a touching line. Owing to the generation of an identical lever arm in the contact lever arms of each contact lever which are oriented parallel to one another and in particular between the first contact lever arms or between the second contact lever arms of the contact levers, an identical contact-pressure force of the contact sections on the mating contact sections of the power line elements is advantageously made possible, with the result that, advantageously, an identical and therefore low resistance between the contact sections and the mating contact sections is produced and uniform distribution of the current flow of the electric current among the at least two lever arms can take place.
Furthermore, a switch apparatus of an electrical circuit breaker for interrupting a current flow of an electric current in an electrical circuit in the event of the occurrence of a tripping event is claimed, wherein the switch apparatus has at least two contact levers, which are arranged rotatably about a common rotation axis and are arranged, at least sectionally, parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another, which contact levers each have two contact lever arms comprising contact sections for making contact with in each case one fixed mating contact section of a power line element, wherein a first holding element for holding at least one spring element for applying a spring force to the first contact lever arms extending on a first side of the rotation axis and a second holding element for holding at least one spring element for applying a spring force to the second contact lever arms extending on a second side of the rotation axis are arranged, and wherein at least one holding element of the two holding elements is configured so as to be movable relative to the power line elements by way of an articulated bearing. The switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention has all of the advantages which have been described in relation to a switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.
Accordingly, the switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention therefore serves to interrupt the current flow of the electric current in the electrical circuit in the event of the occurrence of a tripping event, such as a short-circuit current or an overload current, in order to protect the electrical consumer connected to the electrical circuit or the load from damage. As described with respect to the switch apparatus in accordance with the first aspect of an embodiment of the invention, the switch apparatus of the type mentioned here likewise has two contact levers, which are arranged rotatably about a common rotation axis, and therefore advantageously implements a double-break multifinger contact system. Each contact lever has two contact lever arms, which extend outwards starting from a center point of the contact lever through which the rotation axis extends and are advantageously arranged diametrically to one another. In respect of the configuration of the contact levers and the respective contact lever arms, reference is made to the description above, which is used completely to explain the switch apparatus mentioned here.
The switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention now has a first holding element and advantageously a second holding element for holding and advantageously for positioning a spring element, which can be a tension spring, for example. In this case, the holding element or the at least two holding elements, which can each be a component part of the switch apparatus itself, and advantageously have a cylindrical or pin-shaped configuration, extend with their longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the contact levers. Advantageously, the first holding element is arranged in particular in a first region of the contact levers, along which the first contact lever arms of the two contact levers extend. Accordingly, the second element is arranged in a second region of the contact levers, along which the respective second contact lever arms of the respective contact levers extend.
The spring elements themselves advantageously serve the purpose of applying a spring force and in particular a compressive force to the contact lever arms in order to press the contact lever arms in the direction of the respective power line elements and advantageously to move the contact lever arms in such a way that the contact sections can be applied with comparable force onto the mating contact sections, which are arranged on the power line elements.
In order to enable compensation for and uniform application of the spring force onto the individual contact sections, independently of corresponding manufacturing tolerances of the individual component parts or wear phenomena of the contact sections, it is possible according to the invention for at least one holding element of the at least two holding elements to be configured so as to be movable relative to the power line elements by way of an articulated bearing.
It is therefore thus conceivable for at least one holding element to be configured in the form of a cylinder or pin and to have an articulated bearing in order to move, for example, with respect to a holding arm for holding the holding element. Meanwhile, it is conceivable for the second holding element to be capable of being a component part of the housing of the switch apparatus, for example, which serves the purpose of holding the spring element and is arranged in rotationally rigid and immovable fashion.
However, it is also conceivable for both holding elements to be configured in the form of a cylinder and in particular a pin and advantageously to have a longitudinal axis which extends substantially parallel to a rotation axis of the contact levers, wherein it is also conceivable for both holding elements to have an articulated bearing in order to enable a movement of the holding elements relative to the power line elements.
Within the scope of embodiments of the invention, it is conceivable for the articulated bearing to have a revolute joint or a swivel joint, which enables a rotary movement or pivoting movement of the holding element at least about a pivot axis which extends substantially orthogonal or at a defined angle to the rotation axis. Advantageously, the revolute joint or the swivel joint is a ball joint. The pivot axis about which the holding element can pivot or rotate at least sectionally can advantageously extend in a plane which extends parallel to the plane in which the rotation axis extends.
However, it is also possible for the rotation axis and pivot axis to lie in planes which are oriented at a defined angle, and in particular at an acute angle, to one another. It is furthermore conceivable for the holding arm for holding the holding element, which is advantageously connected in rotationally rigid fashion to a housing of the switch apparatus, for example, to have a cutout and in particular a bore, through which at least one section of the holding element extends, wherein the cutout is configured in such a way that at least regional pivoting or rotation of the holding element about the mentioned pivot axis can be made possible. Advantageously, the holding element itself has an articulated section, which is in contact with the holding arm for holding the holding element, wherein this articulated section can advantageously have a spherical configuration.
It is furthermore conceivable for a spring force to be applied to the holding elements in each case by at least two spring elements, wherein the spring elements each extend between the respective holding element and a force transfer element for transferring a spring force onto the contact lever arms. In this case, it is conceivable for at least one force transfer element to be assigned to each holding element in an advantageous manner, wherein the force transfer element can also be configured so as to be movable.
It is thus conceivable for the force transfer element to be configured in the form of a cylinder and in particular a pin, which can have at least one bulge, for example in particular in touching sections for touching the contact lever arms of the contact levers. The spring elements, which can advantageously be tension springs, extend between a holding element and the advantageously associated force transfer element.
Advantageously, the switch apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention has in total two holding elements and two force transfer elements, wherein each holding element/force transfer element pair advantageously has in each case two spring elements, which extend in each case between the force transfer element and the holding element, as a result of which a force transfer pair is formed. The spring element system of the switch apparatus, which spring element system advantageously consists of four spring elements and two holding elements and two force transfer elements, advantageously serves the purpose of applying an identical spring force to the individual contact lever arms of the individual contact levers, wherein, advantageously, component tolerances and/or different degrees of wear of the individual contact sections of the contact lever arms can be compensated for.
Advantageously, it is conceivable for the switch apparatus to have at least one force transfer element, and at least one holding element. Accordingly, it is possible for the switch apparatus to advantageously have a force transfer element, which has a bulge, which extends radially outwards, for uniformly transferring the spring force onto the contact lever arms in touching sections for touching the contact levers once, and a holding element, which is configured so as to be movable relative to the power line elements by way of an articulated bearing. Owing to a configuration of the switch apparatus with a movable force transfer element and a movable holding element, compensation for component part tolerances and for different regions of wear of the individual contact levers and the contact lever arms thereof and the contact sections of the contact lever arms can be provided in a simple and inexpensive manner, with the result that, advantageously, an identical contact pressure can be made possible between the individual contact sections and the mating contact sections.
It is furthermore conceivable for the force transfer element and/or the holding element to extend along a longitudinal axis, which extends substantially parallel or at an acute angle or at an obtuse angle to a rotation axis of the contact lever arms, wherein the force transfer element extends along a first surface of the contact lever arms and the holding element extends along a second surface, which is opposite the first surface, of the contact lever arms. Accordingly, a force transfer element is advantageously opposite a holding element.
Advantageously, therefore, the longitudinal axes of the force transfer element and the holding element extend substantially parallel to one another. The force transfer element and the holding element form a force transfer pair and are operatively connected to one another via at least one spring element and advantageously two spring elements. This means that the at least one spring element is clamped between a force transfer element and a holding element in such a way that a defined spring force can be transferred from the spring element onto the force transfer element.
An electrical circuit breaker for interrupting a current flow of an electric current in an electrical circuit is furthermore claimed, the electrical circuit breaker having at least one switch apparatus. Accordingly, the electrical circuit breaker, which can be a compact circuit breaker or else an open circuit breaker, for example, has at least one switch apparatus in accordance with the abovementioned type. In the case of the electrical circuit breaker, all of the advantages which have already been described with respect to the switch apparatuses in accordance with the preceding aspects of embodiments of the invention result.
The first contact lever arms 2.1 and 3.1 shown in
The embodiment of the switch apparatus 1 according to the invention shown in
A force transfer element 5 or 15 and an associated holding element 10.1 or 10.2, with corresponding spring elements 6.1, 6.2 or 6.3, form a force transfer pair 30 or 31 (cf. also
The holding elements 10.1 or 10.2 of each force transfer pair 30, 31 is always arranged in the region of a side or surface or on a side or surface of the contact lever 2 or 3 and in particular of the contact lever arm 2.1 or 3.1 which is opposite the side or surface on which the force transfer element 5 or 15 is arranged. As a result, the contact levers 2, 3 and in particular the contact lever arms 2.1, 3.1 thereof extend in a region between the force transfer element 5 or 15 and the associated holding element 10.1 or 10.2. This is illustrated again in particular with the embodiment of the switch apparatus 1 according to the invention depicted in
A first force transfer element 5 is arranged on the first surface O1 of the first contact lever arm 2.1 of the contact lever 2, while a first holding element 10.1 is arranged at least in a region on the second side O2 or surface O2 of the first contact lever arm 2.1 of the contact lever 2. The longitudinal axis L1 of the force transfer element 5 (cf.
During a rotation or pivoting of the contact lever 2 about the rotation axis D in a first direction of rotation R1, the spring elements 6 and in particular the spring elements 6.1, 6.2 shown in
If there is no rotary movement of the contact lever 2 about its rotation axis D, triggered owing to the rotation of the rotor 4, which extends along the rotation axis D through a central region of the contact lever 2, the spring elements 6, 6.1-6.4 apply a corresponding spring force FF1 and FF3 or FF2 and FF4 to the corresponding contact lever arms 2.1 and 2.2 of the contact lever 2 (shown here) or 3.1 and 3.2 of the contact lever 3 (not shown here), which spring force is passed on to the contact lever 2 or 3 and the contact lever arms 2.1 and 2.2 or 3.1 and 3.2 thereof via the force transfer elements 5 and 15. As a result, the contact sections 9 are pressed onto the mating contact sections 8, with the result that as little resistance as possible is produced between the contact sections 9 and the mating contact sections 8. Advantageously, the spring forces FF1, FF3, FF2 and FF4 effect contact-pressure forces FK1, FK3, FK2 and FK4 which are identical in magnitude to one another between the contact sections 9 and the corresponding mating contact sections 8.
The bulges 5.3 and 5.4 of the individual touching sections 5.1 and 5.2 of the force transfer element 5 advantageously have touching points P1 and P2, which can also be configured in the form of touching areas and/or touching lines and directly touch the first surface O1 of the first contact lever arms 2.1, 3.1 and conduct a force flow to the individual contact lever arms 2.1, 3.1 of the contact levers 2, 3, starting from the force transfer element 5. On the basis of these bulges 5.3 and 5.4, the force F1 and F2 acting on the contact lever arms 2.1, 3.1, which force is advantageously a compressive force, is advantageously applied to the contact lever arms 2.1, 3.1 or 2.2, 3.2 in such a way that, for example, a physical lever arm which is always of the same size is produced in the contact levers 2, 3, for example independently of a different spring force FF1 or FF2 or FF3 or FF4 of the individual spring elements 6.1 and 6.2 or 6.3 and 6.4, with the result that the contact levers 2, 3 and in particular the contact sections 9 of the contact lever arms 2.1, 3.1 or 2.2, 3.2 are pressed onto the mating contact sections 8 with an identical force and in particular contact-pressure force FK1, FK2 or FK3, FK4 (cf.
The same also applies in the case of an asymmetrical design of the switch apparatus 1, as shown in
For a more detailed description of the bearing arrangement of the pivotable holding element 20 or 21, reference is made to
The arrangement of a movable holding element 20 or 21 will be described below with reference to the first holding element 20, wherein this arrangement and configuration of the first holding element 20 can also be applied to the second holding element 21.
The holding element 20 is held and advantageously positioned by a holding arm 23. In this case, the holding arm can be fixed, for example, in a region of the housing 12 shown in
The configuration of the articulated section 20.1 is also additionally illustrated once again in
Owing to the arrangement of the holding element 20 or 21 within the abovementioned cutout 23.1 in the holding element arm 23 and therefore owing to the formation of a revolute joint or an articulated bearing 24, the holding element 20 or 21 can be pivoted or rotated at least about a pivot axis S1, as illustrated in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2014 204 749 | Mar 2014 | DE | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6281461 | Doughty | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 7189935 | Hassan | Mar 2007 | B1 |
| 8089016 | Dahl | Jan 2012 | B2 |
| 20060119455 | Park | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| 20140061015 | Biedunkiewicz et al. | Mar 2014 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2704172 | Mar 2014 | EP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Extended European Search Report dated Jul. 24, 2015. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150262765 A1 | Sep 2015 | US |
