JP4908121B2 - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a circuit breaker installed in a distribution board, for example.

  Conventionally, a circuit breaker has a fixed metal fitting having a fixed contact and a movable metal fitting having a movable contact, and when a leakage occurs, the movable metal fitting is opened so that the fixed contact and the movable contact are separated from each other, thereby causing the main circuit. Is configured to shut off. As the movable metal fitting, a thin plate-shaped metal piece is generally adopted. A movable contact is provided at one end of the metal piece, while the other end is fixed to a circuit breaker case, and a separately provided switch member is operated. By pressing the movable bracket, the movable contact is brought into contact with the fixed contact, and the main electric circuit is turned on. Here, in order to generate contact pressure between the movable contact and the fixed contact when the main electric circuit is turned on, in Patent Document 1, the elastic force of the movable metal fitting is used. In Patent Document 2, a spring member that pushes up the movable metal fitting is installed at an intermediate position of the movable metal fitting, and when the movable metal fitting is pushed downward by the switch member, the biasing force of the spring member in the push-up direction is set. Is used for contact pressure.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-3659 JP-A-7-282712

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for smaller and thinner circuit breakers. However, as in the circuit breaker of Patent Document 1, in the configuration in which the contact pressure is generated using the elastic force of the movable metal fitting, it is necessary to employ a metal piece having a certain length as the movable metal fitting. There is a problem that it is not possible to sufficiently satisfy the demand for downsizing and thinning. In addition, as in the circuit breaker disclosed in Patent Document 2, the spring member is installed at an intermediate position of the movable metal fitting, and the movable metal fitting needs to have a certain length, and the installation space for the spring member is also necessary. Therefore, there is a limit to miniaturization and thinning of circuit breakers.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker that can be further reduced in size and thickness.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is such that the fixed contact and the movable contact are brought into contact / dissociated by the movement of the contact operating member provided movably in the circuit breaker case. A circuit breaker in which a main electric circuit is operated ON / OFF, and the movable contact is provided to stably contact the movable metal fitting having the movable contact with the contact operating member, and the movable contact and the fixed contact. Attaching a biasing member for biasing, installing the movable contact and the biasing member inside the contact operating member, and opening an insertion hole into which the fixed contact can be inserted into the contact operating member, The movable contact and the fixed contact are brought into contact with each other inside the contact operating member .
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1 , wherein the movable fitting is provided with a protruding attachment portion, while the contact operating member is provided with an attachment hole into which the movable fitting can be inserted, A locking step portion is provided in the mounting hole so that the mounting portion can be locked and the locking direction of the mounting portion is substantially parallel to the biasing direction of the biasing member.

According to the present invention, since the movable metal fitting having the movable contact and the biasing member that biases the movable contact in order to stably contact the movable contact and the fixed contact are attached to the contact operation member, The movable metal fitting can be reduced in size, and the circuit breaker can be further reduced in size and thickness. Moreover, even if the movable metal fitting is downsized, the movable contact and the fixed contact can be brought into stable contact, and contact failure between the contacts does not occur. In addition, for example, when a malfunction occurs, the fixed contact and the movable contact do not dissociate despite the fact that the movable bracket is caught by a protrusion in the breaker case, etc. The fixed contact and the movable contact can be reliably dissociated.
The internal as well as established and the movable contact and the biasing member of the contact point control member, opened the possible insertion hole insert the fixed contacts to the contact operating member, a fixed contact and a movable contact at the inner contact operating member Therefore, the space in the case of the circuit breaker can be effectively used, and the circuit breaker can be further reduced in size and thickness.
In addition, according to the invention described in claim 2 , while the movable fitting is provided with the protruding attachment portion, the contact operating member is provided with an attachment hole into which the movable fitting can be inserted, and the attachment hole is provided in the attachment hole. In addition, a locking step portion is provided in which the mounting portion can be locked and the locking direction of the mounting portion is substantially parallel to the biasing direction of the biasing member. Therefore, the movable bracket can be securely attached to the contact operating member using the biasing force of the biasing member, and the situation where the movable bracket is detached from the contact operating member or the position of the movable contact is displaced is prevented. Can do. In addition, the urging member for stable contact between the contacts has a rational structure that can also prevent the movable bracket from falling off, and the circuit breaker can be further reduced in size and thickness. Can do.

Hereinafter, a circuit breaker according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective explanatory view showing an external appearance of the circuit breaker 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing an internal mechanism of the circuit breaker 1. 3A and 3B are explanatory views showing the internal mechanism of the circuit breaker 1 from the side, in which FIG. 3A is a state in which the operation handle 5 is turned on, and FIG. 3B is a state in which the operation handle 5 is the main circuit. The internal mechanism in the state which operated OFF is shown. The load side terminal 3 side of the circuit breaker 1 will be described as the front side of the circuit breaker 1.

  The circuit breaker 1 is used for a single-phase three-wire circuit, and a leakage detection circuit for detecting the occurrence of a leakage in a synthetic resin breaker case 4 formed by assembling a pair of case members. , A trip coil 8 that shuts off the occurrence of leakage, a zero-phase current transformer 41, a movable contact 23a with respect to the fixed contact 11a, 11a,. A separator (contact operating member) 21 for connecting / disconnecting 23a.

  Further, a power supply side terminal 2 formed by arranging three terminals P1, P2, and P3 in a vertical line is arranged at the rear part of the circuit breaker case 4. In the power supply side terminal 2, the upper terminal P1 is a neutral electrode terminal, the center terminal P2 and the lower terminal P3 are voltage electrode terminals, each of the terminals P1 to P3 has a U-shaped terminal fitting 13, It is formed as a plug-in type terminal that can be connected by simply inserting a conductor bar (not shown) disposed in a distribution board or the like. In the vicinity of the terminals P1 to P3, bimetal pieces 42 and 42 that perform a cutoff operation when an overcurrent is generated, and movable electromagnetic pieces 43 and 43 that perform an instantaneous cutoff operation when a short-circuit current occurs are installed.

  Further, the front surface of the circuit breaker case 4 has an inclined surface that descends forward, and on the inclined surface, a load side terminal comprising three terminals L1, L2, and L3 into which load wiring (not shown) can be inserted and connected. 3 is arranged. The terminals L1 to L3 are arranged in a line in the vertical direction on the inclined surface, the central terminal L2 is a neutral electrode terminal, and the upper terminal L1 and the lower terminal L3 are voltage electrode terminals. Each of the terminals L1 to L3 has a fixing bracket 11 provided with a fixed contact 11a and a locking bracket 16 capable of locking the electric wire portion of the load wiring. It is formed as a quick connection terminal that can be connected by simply inserting the portion into the circuit breaker case 4. Reference numeral 14 denotes a support holder for supporting the fixing bracket 11, and 17 denotes a release lever for releasing the locking by the locking bracket 16 when the electric wire connected to the load side terminal 3 is pulled out. .

  Furthermore, an operation handle 5 is provided on the upper surface of the circuit breaker case 4 to operate the separator 21 by turning it in the front-rear direction to turn on / off the main electric circuit. When the main electric circuit is turned on, the operation handle 5 is tilted to an angle substantially parallel to the upper surface of the circuit breaker case 4 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, and the main electric circuit is turned off. When operating, as shown in FIG.3 (b), it will be in the state protruded upwards.

In addition, on the upper part of the circuit breaker case 4, a test button 6 for testing the printed circuit board 20, a leakage detection circuit, a test circuit operated by the test button 6, and the like are provided. The test circuit is formed on the printed circuit board 20, and the switch unit for turning on / off the test circuit includes a protruding contact 19 projecting from the back surface of the printed circuit board 20 and one end electrically connected to the printed circuit board 20. It is formed by a pin-shaped contact member 51 that is connected and extends forward where the load-side terminal 3 is provided and is further folded back into a substantially U shape. When the test button 6 is pushed in, the tip 51a of the pin-shaped contact member 51 comes into contact with the protruding contact 19 and the switch portion is turned on, so that a pseudo-leakage current flows through the test circuit.
A pair of protective walls 7 and 7 are provided on the upper surface of the circuit breaker case 4 so as to be parallel to the rotation direction of the operation handle 5 on the left and right of the operation handle 5. 5 is accommodated and protected.

Next, the separator 21 of the circuit breaker 1 that is a main part of the present invention will be described. 4 is a perspective explanatory view showing the separator 21 and the open / close portion of the main electric circuit, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the separator 21 and the open / close portion of the main electric circuit.
The separator 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is installed behind the load side terminal 3 in parallel with the arrangement of the terminals L1 to L3, that is, in parallel with the inclination of the front surface of the circuit breaker case 4. Accordingly, it can slide in the vertical direction parallel to the inclination. In the front surface of the separator 21, three openings are arranged in the vertical direction, and serve as an insertion hole 22 into which a rear end portion (installation portion of the fixed contact 11 a) of the fixture 11 can be inserted. Each insertion hole 22 is opened long in the vertical direction (note that the lowermost insertion hole 22 is a notch), and the separator 21 slides upward while the fixing bracket 11 is inserted. It is possible to move.

  Also, the rear surface of the separator 21 is provided with three openings in parallel in the vertical direction, and serves as an attachment hole 24 for attaching the movable metal fitting 23 having the movable contact 23a. Further, the inner wall surface of the separator 21 is provided with three sets of concave grooves 25, 25,. Each concave groove 25 is engraved across each insertion hole 22 and mounting hole 24, and at a substantially intermediate position in the front-rear direction, a crank-shaped step where the rear side (mounting hole 24 side) becomes higher. A portion (locking step portion) 26 is provided. The following movable fitting 23 is attached to the separator 21 using the concave grooves 25, 25.

  The movable metal member 23 is a plate-like member having an L-shaped side cross-section formed by bending the rear part upward or downward, and the rear part bent upward or downward is formed wider than the attachment hole 24, to the separator 21. It is comprised so that it may contact | abut to the back surface of the separator 21 at the time of attachment, and may become a stopper. Further, a movable contact 23a is provided at the front end of the movable metal fitting 23, and convex portions (attachment portions) 27, 27 formed by projecting left and right side edge portions of the movable contact 23a installation position to the left and right respectively. Is provided. Then, the convex portions 27 and 27 are engaged with the concave grooves 25 and 25 from the mounting hole 24 side, are slid forward in the concave grooves 25 and 25, and are further slid downward at the step portion 26. The movable metal fitting 23 can be attached to the separator 21 by being engaged with the portion 26. By attaching the movable metal fittings 23, 23,... To the separator 21, the movable contacts 23a, 23a,. In addition, a pressing spring (biasing member) 28 for urging the movable contact 23 a downward is provided at a position above each movable contact 23 a in the separator 21, and the urging force of the pressing spring 28 is used. Thus, the contact pressure of the movable contact 23a to the fixed contact 11a is generated, the contact between the contacts is stabilized, and the engagement between the convex portion 27 and the step portion 26 is made stronger.

Further, a projecting piece 30 is provided on the rear surface of the separator 21 so as to abut a blocking spring 32 that urges the separator 21 upward. In addition, an opening / closing mechanism 31 having a first cam member 33 and a second cam member 34 in a locked state is provided on the upper portion of the separator 21. In the opening / closing mechanism 31, the link member connected to the operation handle 5 is kept pressed against the upper surface of the separator 21 at one end of the protruding second cam member 34, thereby separating the separator 21 from the cutoff spring 32. It is maintained at an energized position that resists the urging force (FIG. 3A). Further, when the occurrence of leakage or the like is detected, the movable member 35 that moves upward by the operation of the trip coil 8 accompanying the occurrence of the leakage pushes up one end of the first cam member 33. The locking with the cam member 34 is once released. Therefore, since the pressing operation of the link member by the second cam member 34 is also released, the separator 21 slides upward by the biasing force of the cutoff spring 32 (FIG. 3B), and the fixed contact 11a and the movable contact 23a. Dissociates and the main circuit is interrupted.
The first cam member 33 and the second cam member 34 are urged in the locking direction by a torsion spring (not shown) so that they automatically return to the locked state after the locking by the movable member 35 is released. It has become. Further, on the side surface of the opening / closing mechanism 31, when the separator 21 slides upward, the pin contact member 51 is pushed up from below to prevent contact between the tip 51 a and the protruding contact 19 of the test circuit (test circuit A protrusion 52 for prohibiting the ON operation is provided.

The separator 21 as described above is provided with the insertion holes at the rear positions of the fixed fittings 11, 11... With the movable fittings 23, 23... Attached (moving contacts 23 a, 23 a. The fixed contacts 11a, 11a,... And when it exists in an energization position, the fixed contact 11a and the movable contact 23a contact in the separator 21, and it is in the state which can energize the main electrical circuit.
Here, when the occurrence of an abnormality such as electric leakage, overcurrent, or short circuit is detected, the opening / closing mechanism 31 is operated by the movement of the movable member 35 accompanying the operation of the trip coil 8, and the separator 21 is moved by the biasing force of the cutoff spring 32. Slide upward (blocking operation). Due to the upward sliding of the separator 21, the movable contact 23a moves upward together with the separator 21, so that the movable contact 23a and the fixed contact 11a are dissociated, and the main electric circuit is interrupted.

  According to the circuit breaker 1 having the above-described configuration, the separator 21 for turning the main electric circuit ON / OFF is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the movable contacts 23a, 23a,. 21 are provided with insertion holes 22, 22... Into which the fixing brackets 11, 11. Therefore, the effective use of the space in the circuit breaker case 4 is compared with the conventional one in which the movable metal fitting whose one end is fixed to the circuit breaker case is pressed / released by the switch member and the main circuit is turned on / off. Thus, the circuit breaker 1 can be reduced in size and thickness.

  Further, by attaching the movable metal fittings 23, 23,... To the separator 21, the movable metal fitting is caught by a protrusion in the breaker case, etc. The situation where the contact does not dissociate does not occur, and the fixed contact 11a and the movable contact 23a can be reliably dissociated with the main circuit OFF operation by the separator 21. Furthermore, the movable bracket 23 can be reduced in size as compared with a metal piece that has been conventionally used, and as a result, the circuit breaker 1 can be further reduced in size and thickness.

  Furthermore, a crank-shaped step portion 26 is provided in the concave grooves 25, 25 in the mounting hole 24 (that is, in the separator 21), and the convex portions 27, 27 of the movable metal fitting 23 are engaged with the step portion 26, thereby separating the separator 21. It is trying to be attached to. Therefore, the situation where the movable metal fitting 23 falls off from the separator 21 can be effectively prevented.

  Further, since the pressing spring 28 for pressing the movable contact 23a toward the fixed contact 11a is provided in the separator 21, the installation space for the pressing springs 28, 28,. 1 can be further reduced in size and thickness, and the contact pressure between the movable contact 23a and the fixed contact 11a can be sufficiently generated, so that contact failure between the contacts does not occur. In addition, since the movable contact 23 a is pressed downward by the pressing spring 28, the locked state between the convex portion 27 and the step portion 26 provided on the movable metal fitting 23 is difficult to be released. That is, the movable metal member 23 can be more reliably prevented from falling off the separator 21.

  In addition, when the main electric circuit is turned off (i.e., sliding upward), the pin-like contact member 51 is pushed up from below to prevent contact between the tip 51a and the protruding contact 19 of the test circuit. A protrusion 52 is provided. Therefore, there is no fear that the test circuit is turned on even when the main circuit is turned off, and the circuit breaker 1 can be made highly safe, and the test circuit is turned on when the main circuit is turned off. Compared with a configuration in which a member for prohibiting the operation is separately provided, the circuit breaker 1 can be further reduced in size and thickness.

  The configuration related to the circuit breaker of the present invention is not limited to the aspect described in the above embodiment, and the configuration related to the circuit breaker case, the breaking mechanism, each metal fitting, each terminal, etc. As long as it does not deviate from the above, it can be changed as necessary.

For example, in the above embodiment, the mounting portion for mounting the movable metal fitting to the contact operating member is configured to be provided integrally with the movable metal fitting. However, the movable metal fitting is attached to the contact operating member via a separate mounting member. May be.
Further, the configuration relating to the sliding direction of the contact operating member and the ON / OFF operation of the main electric circuit is not limited to the aspect described in the above embodiment, and the front surface of the circuit breaker is formed vertically, There is no problem even if the main electric circuit is turned ON / OFF by sliding the operating member in the vertical direction, and the main electric circuit is configured to be turned OFF by sliding the contact operating member downward. The design can be changed as appropriate.
Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the contact operation member is formed in the cylinder shape, the shape of a contact operation member can also be changed suitably, and it is parallel to a terminal juxtaposition direction to a block-shaped or columnar contact operation member. It is good also as a structure which provides a some notch part in a direction and installs a movable contact in this notch part.

It is perspective explanatory drawing which showed the external appearance of the circuit breaker. It is perspective explanatory drawing which showed the internal mechanism of the circuit breaker. It is explanatory drawing which showed the internal mechanism of the circuit breaker from the side, Comprising: (a) is the state which operated the main electric circuit ON, (b) shows the internal mechanism in the state which operated the main electric circuit OFF. It is perspective explanatory drawing which showed the opening / closing part of the separator and the main electrical circuit. It is sectional explanatory drawing which showed the opening / closing part of the separator and the main electrical circuit.

Explanation of symbols

  1 ... Circuit breaker 2 ... Power supply side terminal 3 ... Load side terminal 4 ... Circuit breaker case 5 ... Operation handle 11 ... Fixing bracket 11a ... Fixed contact 20 ... Print Substrate, 21 ... Separator, 22 ... Insert hole, 23 ... Movable metal fitting, 23a ... Movable contact, 24 ... Mounting hole, 25 ... Groove, 26 ... Step, 27 ... Projection, 28 .... Pressing spring, 30 ... Projection piece, 31 ... Opening / closing mechanism, 32 ... Interrupting spring, 33 ... First cam member, 34 ... Second cam member, 35 ... Moveable member.

Claims (2)

A circuit breaker in which a fixed contact and a movable contact are contacted / dissociated by movement of a contact operating member movably provided in a circuit breaker case, and a main electric circuit is operated ON / OFF,
A movable metal fitting having the movable contact and an urging member that urges the movable contact to stably contact the movable contact and the fixed contact are attached to the contact operation member ,
The movable contact and the biasing member are installed inside the contact operating member, and an insertion hole into which the fixed contact can be inserted is formed in the contact operating member, and the movable contact is formed inside the contact operating member. A circuit breaker characterized by contacting the fixed contact with the circuit breaker. While providing a mounting part on the movable bracket,
The contact operating member is provided with a mounting hole into which the movable fitting can be inserted, and the mounting portion can be locked in the mounting hole, and the locking direction of the mounting portion is biased by the biasing member. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , further comprising a locking step portion that is substantially parallel to the direction.

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