CN117766352A - Tripping mechanism and leakage protector - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a trip mechanism and an earth leakage protector. The trip mechanism may include: a magnetically conductive frame (1); the magnetic conduction plate (2) is movably arranged relative to the magnetic conduction frame and is configured to form a closed magnetic loop with the magnetic conduction frame; the magnetic conduction component (3) is provided with at least two second branches (31, 32) and a second connecting part (33) for connecting the at least two second branches, the at least two second branches are respectively positioned at two sides of the magnetic conduction frame or the magnetic conduction plate in a first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to a plane where the magnetic circuit is positioned; a permanent magnet (4); and a biasing member (5) connected to one end of the magnetic conductive plate to provide a trip force opposite to the magnetic attraction force to the magnetic conductive plate. According to the tripping mechanism disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, the magnetic attraction force generated by the permanent magnet to the parts of the tripping mechanism can be reduced or eliminated, so that the tripping mechanism can be triggered to act by only needing less energy.

Description

Tripping mechanism and leakage protector

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of earth leakage protectors, and more particularly, to trip mechanisms and earth leakage protectors.

Background

The earth leakage protector is a safety device for opening the main circuit when the equipment fails in earth leakage to protect the equipment and personal safety. The leakage protector monitors the leakage signal. When the leakage protector detects that the leakage occurs in the main circuit, the internal tripping mechanism acts to trigger the switching mechanism to act, so that the power supply of the main circuit is turned off, and the leakage protection function is realized. The energy required for the trip mechanism to operate is typically derived primarily from the energy provided by the product circuit board or from the magnetic flux generated by the leakage current through the coil. In other words, the magnetic force generated by the trip coil counteracts the magnetic force generated by the permanent magnet in the earth leakage protector, which can trigger the trip mechanism to act.

In the design of the leakage product, under the same product performance, the smaller the energy required by the tripping mechanism to act, the more sensitive the product. In the conventional product, the permanent magnet generates magnetic flux for holding the tripping mechanism, and may additionally generate magnetic attraction force to a certain part of the tripping mechanism, and the existence of the magnetic attraction force makes the leakage protector require more energy to trigger the tripping mechanism to act, which is a problem to be solved urgently.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a trip mechanism and a leakage protector incorporating the trip mechanism that address one or more of the above problems, as well as other potential problems.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a trip mechanism is provided. The trip mechanism may include: the magnetic conduction frame is provided with two first branches and a first connecting part for connecting the two first branches, and the two first branches are provided with magnetic surfaces; a magnetically permeable plate movably disposed relative to the magnetically permeable frame and configured to contact the magnetic surface to form a closed magnetic loop with the magnetically permeable frame; the magnetic conduction component is provided with at least two second branches and a second connecting part for connecting the at least two second branches, the at least two second branches are respectively positioned at two sides of the magnetic conduction frame or the magnetic conduction plate in a first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to a plane where the magnetic circuit is positioned; a permanent magnet having a first end in contact with the second connection portion of the magnetically permeable member to provide a magnetic attraction force that keeps the magnetically permeable plate in contact with the magnetic surface by generating a first magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit; and a biasing member coupled to one end of the magnetically permeable plate to provide a trip force to the magnetically permeable plate opposite the magnetic attraction force. According to the tripping mechanism disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, the magnetic attraction force generated by the permanent magnet to the parts of the tripping mechanism can be reduced or eliminated, so that the tripping mechanism can be triggered to act by only needing less energy.

In some embodiments, the trip mechanism may further include: a coil surrounding the first connection portion and configured to generate a second magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit in a direction opposite to the first magnetic flux when a current is applied to the coil.

In some embodiments, the at least two second branches of the magnetically permeable member are located on both sides of the magnetically permeable plate, respectively, in the first direction, and a second end of the permanent magnet opposite to the first end is in contact with one of the two first branches of the magnetically permeable frame.

In some embodiments, the at least two second branches of the magnetically permeable member are located on both sides of one of the two first branches of the magnetically permeable frame in the first direction, respectively, and a second end of the permanent magnet opposite to the first end is in contact with the first connection portion or the magnetically permeable plate.

In some embodiments, the trip mechanism may further include: and the columnar piece is connected with the magnetic conduction plate.

In some embodiments, a buffer connection piece may be disposed on the magnetic conductive plate, and the column piece is connected with the magnetic conductive plate through the buffer connection piece.

In some embodiments, the magnetic attraction force interacts with the trip force to hold the magnetically permeable frame and the magnetically permeable plate in a clamped state when there is no current in the coil.

In some embodiments, when current is present in the coil, a magnetic attraction force generated by the first magnetic flux and the second magnetic flux interacts with the trip force to place the magnetically permeable frame and the magnetically permeable plate in a disengaged state.

In some embodiments, the magnetically permeable frame, the magnetically permeable plate, and the magnetically permeable member may be ferromagnetic.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a leakage protector, which may include: the trip mechanism of the first aspect, and a switch mechanism coupled to a magnetically permeable plate of the trip mechanism; the coil of the tripping mechanism is electrically connected to a main loop connected with the leakage protector; the tripping mechanism is configured to energize the coil to trigger the magnetic conduction plate and the switching mechanism to act when the main loop is in electric leakage, so that the main loop is cut off.

Drawings

The above, as well as additional purposes, features, and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, several embodiments of the present disclosure are shown by way of example, and not by way of limitation.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2A and 2B illustrate side views of a closed state and an open state, respectively, of a trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3A and 3B show detailed perspective and side views, respectively, of a closed state of a trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4A and 4B show detailed perspective and side views, respectively, of an open state of a trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the magnetic flux inside the trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6A and 6B are perspective views illustrating a closed state and an open state of a trip mechanism according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively.

Like or corresponding reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

The term "comprising" and variations thereof as used herein means open ended, i.e., "including but not limited to. The term "or" means "and/or" unless specifically stated otherwise. The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "one example embodiment" and "one embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment. The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". The terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," and the like, as used herein, refer to a place or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are merely for convenience in describing the principles of the present disclosure, and do not refer to or imply that the elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be configured or operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

As mentioned above, a trip mechanism is generally provided in the earth leakage protector to trigger the trip mechanism to operate when the main circuit is leaked. Conventional trip mechanisms typically include a U-shaped magnetically permeable frame and a magnetically permeable plate forming a magnetic circuit with the U-shaped magnetically permeable frame, e.g., the U-shaped magnetically permeable frame is positioned below the magnetically permeable plate. To provide magnetic flux into the magnetic circuit, conventional trip mechanisms typically connect a permanent magnet to the underside of the magnetic plate. Therefore, the permanent magnet provides magnetic flux for a magnetic loop formed by the U-shaped magnetic conduction frame and the magnetic conduction plate, so that magnetic attraction for keeping the magnetic conduction plate in contact with the U-shaped magnetic conduction frame is formed. On the other hand, the trip mechanism also provides a trip force in a direction opposite to but slightly less than the magnetic attraction force by a biasing member such as a spring.

With the above arrangement, when the main circuit leaks electricity, the magnetic flux generated by the leakage current flowing through the U-shaped magnetically conductive frame surrounding at least part of the main circuit partially cancels the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet, thereby triggering the trip mechanism to open. However, the magnetic flux provided by the permanent magnet in the conventional tripping mechanism from bottom to top obstructs the opening action of the tripping mechanism, which causes the tripping mechanism to be triggered to act when the leakage current is large, so that the tripping mechanism and the leakage protector have potential safety hazards.

In view of this, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a trip mechanism is provided to reduce the leakage current required to trigger the trip mechanism to act, thereby improving the sensitivity and reliability of the trip mechanism. The principles of a trip mechanism and a leakage protector including the trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a trip mechanism 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, the trip mechanism 100 may include a magnetically permeable frame 1, a magnetically permeable plate 2, a magnetically permeable member 3, a permanent magnet 4, a biasing member 5, a coil 6, a post 7, and a buffer connection 8.

In order to more clearly describe the embodiments of the present disclosure, the operation principle of each component shown in fig. 1 will now be described in detail with reference to fig. 2A and 2B. Fig. 2A and 2B show side views of a closed state and an open state, respectively, of the trip mechanism 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the magnetically permeable frame 1 may be a U-shaped magnetically permeable frame having magnetic surfaces at both ends thereof so as to form a closed magnetic circuit with the magnetically permeable plate 2. It should be understood that the magnetically permeable plate 2 is arranged movable relative to the magnetically permeable frame 1. As an example, one side of the magnetically permeable plate 2 near the biasing member 5 may be rotatably connected to one end of the magnetically permeable frame 1, and the other side of the magnetically permeable plate 2 may be movably contacted to or separated from the other end of the magnetically permeable frame 1.

In some embodiments, the permanent magnet 4 is configured to generate a magnetic flux that is transmitted through the magnetically permeable member 3 to a magnetic circuit formed by the magnetically permeable frame 1 and the magnetically permeable plate 2, thereby generating a magnetic attraction force that maintains the movable side of the magnetically permeable plate 2 in contact with a side magnetic surface of the magnetically permeable frame 1. As shown in fig. 1, the permanent magnet 4 is not directly connected to the magnetic conductive plate 2, but is conducted through the magnetic conductive member 3. Note that the magnetically permeable member 3 is not directly in contact with the magnetically permeable plate 2 from below, unlike the magnetically permeable member 3 configured to be in contact with the magnetically permeable plate 2 from both sides of the magnetically permeable plate 2 as shown in fig. 2A and 2B.

Further, the biasing member 5 in the trip mechanism 100 may be an elastic member such as a spring, which is connected to one end of the magnetically permeable plate 2, and may be configured to provide the magnetically permeable plate 2 with a trip force opposite to the magnetic attraction force generated by the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 4. As an example, as shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the biasing member 5 may be coupled to a hook fixedly provided with one end of the magnetically permeable plate 2, so that the movable side of the magnetically permeable plate 2 is separated from the side magnetic surface of the magnetically permeable frame 1 by the tension of a spring.

It should be understood that, when the main circuit is operating normally, the trip force generated by the tension of the spring to separate the movable side of the magnetically permeable plate 2 from the magnetic surface of the side of the magnetically permeable frame 1 is smaller than the magnetic attraction force generated by the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 4 to keep the movable side of the magnetically permeable plate 2 in contact with the magnetic surface of the side of the magnetically permeable frame 1, taking into account the moment arm in the lever principle. Therefore, when the main circuit is normal, the magnetic circuit remains in the sucked state as shown in fig. 2A.

On the other hand, when leakage occurs in the main circuit, leakage current passes through the coil 6 in the trip mechanism 100, thereby generating magnetic flux in a direction opposite to that of the permanent magnet 4 to at least partially cancel the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 4. Thus, as shown in fig. 2B, the magnetic attraction force generated by the two magnetic fluxes interacts with the release force, so that the magnetically conductive frame 1 and the magnetically conductive plate 2 are in a disengaged state.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the posts 7 in the trip mechanism 100 are configured to connect with the magnetic plate 2. The magnetic conductive plate 2 is provided with a buffer connector 8, and the columnar member 7 can be connected to the magnetic conductive plate 2 via the buffer connector 8. The column 7, the buffer connection 8 and the housing surrounding the above are common components in the art and will not be described in detail herein. It should be understood that the drawings mainly illustrate components related to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and that other devices are omitted to avoid obscuring aspects of the present invention.

By implementing the trip mechanism 100 described above, the permanent magnet 4 can supply magnetic flux from both sides of the magnetic conductive plate 2 (rather than from bottom to top) via the biasing member 5, thereby reducing or even eliminating magnetic attraction force that impedes the opening action of the trip mechanism 100, and making the earth leakage protection function of the trip mechanism 100 more sensitive.

To describe the trip mechanism in more detail, and in particular the manner in which the components thereof are connected, the trip mechanism of the embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to fig. 3A-3B and fig. 4A-4B. Fig. 3A and 3B show detailed perspective and side views of a closed state of the trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 4A and 4B show detailed perspective and side views of an open state of the trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively.

As shown in fig. 3A-3B and fig. 4A-4B, in some embodiments, the magnetically permeable frame 1 may comprise two first branches 11,12 and a first connection 13 for connecting the two first branches 11, 12. As mentioned above, both first branches 11,12 have magnetic surfaces to form a closed loop with the magnetic conductive plate 2.

The magnetically conductive member 3 may include two second branches 31 and 32, and a second connection portion 33 connecting the two second branches 31 and 32. It should be appreciated that the number of second branches may be more than two. The two second branches 31,32 are located on both sides of the magnetically permeable frame 1 or the magnetically permeable plate 2, respectively, in the first direction. It will be appreciated that although not shown, the first direction is a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the magnetic circuit lies.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3A-3B and fig. 4A-4B, the first end 41 of the permanent magnet 4 is in contact with the second connection portion 33 of the magnetically permeable member 3. The two second branches 31,32 of the magnetically permeable member 3 are located on both sides of the magnetically permeable plate 2, respectively, in the first direction, and the second end 42 of the permanent magnet 4 opposite to the first end 41 may be arranged in contact with one of the two first branches 11,12 of the magnetically permeable frame 1. It will be appreciated that the second end 42 may also be arranged to contact the other of the two first branches 11, 12.

In some embodiments, although not shown in fig. 3A-3B and fig. 4A-4B, the coil 6 may be disposed around the first connection portion 13, and the trip mechanism may be configured to generate another magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit opposite to the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 4 when a leakage current is passed in the coil 6, thereby at least partially canceling the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet.

In some embodiments, the magnetic attraction force generated by the permanent magnet interacts with the tripping force generated by the biasing member to hold the magnetically permeable frame 1 and the magnetically permeable plate 2 in a clamped state when no current is present in the coil 6. When there is a current in the coil 6, that is, when the main circuit leaks, the magnetic attraction force generated by the two magnetic fluxes with opposite directions interacts with the tripping force, so that the magnetic conductive frame 1 and the magnetic conductive plate 2 are in a disengaged state.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the magnetic flux inside the trip mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown by arrows in fig. 5, the magnetic flux output from the permanent magnet 4 is split into two paths via the second connection portion 33 of the magnetic conductive member, and the magnetic flux is transmitted to the magnetic conductive plate 2 via the second branch 31 and the second branch 32, respectively. The magnetic flux is then transferred through the magnetic circuit in which the magnetic conductive plate 2 is located until it returns to the permanent magnet 4. It will be appreciated that since the first branch 31 and the second branch 32 transfer magnetic flux in opposite directions, no or little longitudinal force is exerted on the magnetic conductive plate 2. Therefore, the tripping mechanism of the embodiment of the disclosure realizes magnetic flux transmission and simultaneously remarkably reduces the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet to the magnetic conduction plate, so that the tripping mechanism can be triggered to act under the condition that a small amount of leakage current is detected.

It should be understood that the positional relationship of the magnetically permeable member 3 and the permanent magnet 4 with respect to the magnetically permeable frame 1 and the magnetically permeable plate 2 may be arranged in other ways than the arrangement described above. Fig. 6A and 6B are perspective views illustrating a closed state and an open state of a trip mechanism according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the two second branches 31,32 of the magnetically permeable member 3 may also be arranged to be located on both sides of one of the two first branches 11,12 of the magnetically permeable frame 1, respectively, in the first direction, and the second end 42 of the permanent magnet 4 is in contact with the first connection portion 13 or the magnetically permeable plate 2. It should be understood that any arrangement of the magnetically permeable member 3 and the permanent magnet 4 relative to the magnetically permeable frame 1 and the magnetically permeable plate 2 is applicable in the present disclosure as long as it is possible to ensure that the second branches 31,32 can be located on both sides of a certain portion of the magnetic circuit in the first direction, respectively, and that the magnetic flux output by the permanent magnet 4 can return to the permanent magnet 4 through the magnetic circuit.

In some embodiments, the magnetically permeable frame 1, the magnetically permeable plate 2 and the magnetically permeable member 3 are all magnetically permeable materials, such as pure iron.

Since the magnetically permeable members are arranged to relatively transfer magnetic flux from a direction perpendicular to the magnetic circuit, the transfer of magnetic flux from the permanent magnet in the plane of the magnetic circuit is substantially eliminated, thereby significantly reducing the additional magnetic attraction of the permanent magnet. When the magnetic attraction is eliminated, once the main loop is leaked, the tripping mechanism can trigger the tripping mechanism to act when less energy is required. Thereby, the sensitivity of the trip mechanism can be improved.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a leakage protector including: the trip mechanism 100; and a switching mechanism coupled to the magnetically permeable plate 2 of the trip mechanism 100. The coil 6 of the trip mechanism 100 is electrically connected to the main circuit to which the earth leakage protector is connected. The trip mechanism 100 is configured such that when the main circuit is leaking electricity, the coil 6 is energized to trigger the magnetically permeable plate 2 and the switching mechanism to act, thereby shutting off the main circuit.

The sensitivity of the tripping mechanism is obviously improved, so that the leakage protector comprising the tripping mechanism can effectively provide protection for the main loop.

Moreover, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are example forms of implementing the claims.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the various embodiments described. The terminology used herein was chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or the technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims (10)

1. A trip mechanism (100), comprising:

-a magnetically conductive frame (1) having two first branches (11, 12) and a first connection (13) connecting the two first branches (11, 12), the two first branches (11, 12) each having a magnetic surface;

a magnetically permeable plate (2) movably disposed relative to the magnetically permeable frame (1) and configured to contact the magnetic surface to form a closed magnetic loop with the magnetically permeable frame (1);

a magnetically conductive member (3) having at least two second branches (31, 32) and a second connection portion (33) connecting the at least two second branches (31, 32), the at least two second branches (31, 32) being located on both sides of the magnetically conductive frame (1) or the magnetically conductive plate (2), respectively, in a first direction perpendicular to a plane in which the magnetic circuit is located;

-a permanent magnet (4), a first end (41) of the permanent magnet (4) being in contact with the second connection (33) of the magnetically permeable member (3) to provide a magnetic attraction force holding the magnetically permeable plate (2) in contact with the magnetic surface by generating a first magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit; and

and the biasing component (5) is connected with one end of the magnetic conduction plate (2) so as to provide a tripping force opposite to the magnetic attraction force for the magnetic conduction plate (2).

2. The trip mechanism (100) of claim 1, further comprising: a coil (6) surrounding the first connection portion (13) and configured to generate a second magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit in a direction opposite to the first magnetic flux when a current is applied to the coil (6).

3. The trip mechanism (100) of claim 1 wherein said at least two second branches (31, 32) of said magnetically permeable member (3) are located on either side of said magnetically permeable plate (2) in said first direction, respectively, and a second end (42) of said permanent magnet (4) opposite said first end (41) is in contact with one of the two first branches (11, 12) of said magnetically permeable frame (1).

4. The trip mechanism (100) of claim 1 wherein said at least two second branches (31, 32) of said magnetically permeable member (3) are located on both sides of one of said two first branches (11, 12) of said magnetically permeable frame (1) in said first direction, respectively, and a second end (42) of said permanent magnet (4) opposite said first end (41) is in contact with said first connection (13) or said magnetically permeable plate (2).

5. The trip mechanism (100) of claim 1, further comprising: and the columnar piece (7) is connected with the magnetic conduction plate (2).

6. The trip mechanism (100) of claim 5 wherein said magnetically permeable plate (2) is provided with a buffer connection (8), said post (7) being connected to said magnetically permeable plate (2) by said buffer connection (8).

7. The trip mechanism (100) of claim 2 wherein said magnetic attraction interacts with said trip force to hold said magnetically permeable frame (1) and said magnetically permeable plate (2) in a clamped state when no current is flowing in said coil (6).

8. The trip mechanism (100) of claim 2 wherein when there is a current in said coil (6), magnetic attraction forces generated by said first magnetic flux and said second magnetic flux interact with said trip force to place said magnetically permeable frame (1) and said magnetically permeable plate (2) in a disengaged state.

9. The trip mechanism (100) of any one of claims 1-4 wherein said magnetically permeable frame (1), said magnetically permeable plate (2) and said magnetically permeable member (3) are magnetically permeable materials.

10. A leakage protector, comprising:

trip mechanism (100) according to any one of the previous claims, and

the switch mechanism is coupled with the magnetic conduction plate (2) of the tripping mechanism (100);

the coil (6) of the tripping mechanism (100) is electrically connected to a main circuit to which the earth leakage protector is connected; wherein,

the tripping mechanism (100) is configured such that when the main circuit is in an electric leakage state, the coil (6) is energized to trigger the magnetic conduction plate (2) and the switching mechanism to act, so that the main circuit is cut off.