FR2675624A1 - ELECTROMECHANICAL SWITCHING DEVICE WITH FRONTAL ADJUSTER BLOCK. - Google Patents

Abstract

Electromechanical switch device, in particular motor circuit breaker, comprising a main device to which is added an additive block of auxiliary contacts. The main housing (10) has a front opening (33) located between an area (13) for access to the power terminals and a nose (20) which carries maneuver buttons and / or display elements; the housing (40) of the additive unit is a cassette capable of being inserted and removably retained in this opening.

Description

ELECTROMECHANICAL APPARATUS WITH FRONTAL ADDITIVE BLOCK.

  The present invention relates to an electromechanical switch apparatus comprising a main apparatus to which

  is added an additive block of auxiliary contacts.

  Such additive blocks are commonly associated with

  contactors, circuit breakers or contactors

  trunking devices for implementing an auxiliary electrical signaling or control circuit The patent

  US 4,622,444 describes a circuit breaker whose housing pre-

  lateral recesses receiving additional blocks

  in order to facilitate assembly and demon-

  This earlier provision deserves to be improved

  both the introduction and removal of additive blocks and the identification of

  their terminals and wiring thereof.

  The object of the invention is in particular to arrange the apparatus

  switch and its additive block so as to make

  Particularly convenient is the addition of the additive block to the apparatus. In particular, it aims to enable the block to be installed

  additive on site after installation of the main unit

  pal, without altering the depth or width of the

  2 - It also aims to simplify the mechanical means used in the housing of the main apparatus to transmit the opening and closing orders to the main contacts and those used to transmit to the

  additive block the indication of the state of these contacts.

  It is also intended to facilitate the identification of

its terminals and their wiring.

  The invention thus relates to an electrical switchgear

  tromechanical housing comprising a main housing with a plurality of

  a plurality of electrical poles each of which is associated with at least one movable contact cooperating with a fixed contact and corresponding power terminals, and a transmission element able to assume a running position and a stop position depending on the state of a

  control body governing the opening and / or closing

  contacts, an additive block comprising a housing

  which can be added to the main case and which

  feels an electrical circuit with auxiliary contacts

  operable by the transmission element.

  According to the invention, the main housing has a front opening located between an access area to the power terminals and a nose carrying maneuvering and / or visualization elements, and the housing of the additive block is a cassette capable of being inserted and

retained in this opening.

  The additive block can thus be loaded and unloaded easily.

  especially because its case can slide,

  even resting on a horizontal surface of the nose of the

  In addition, its addition to the main casing

  cipal can take place after installation of the main unit without changing the depth or width of the main unit. 3 - The switch device may have a transmission lever which comprises a receiving arm requested by

  a trigger mechanism and / or the armature of an electri-

  a tro anant included in or attached to the main housing and a control arm applicable to the actuator, the receiver arm and the control arm

  being preferably located at approximately 90%.

  assembly and assembly are therefore easy

  fied. The additive block may advantageously comprise erasable projection means cooperating with a wall of the main housing to ensure in the introduction phase a forcing of the operating lever This makes it possible to be certain that, whatever the state of the device switch and so the position of the lever of

  transmission, the operating lever of the addi-

  tif can be introduced in a correct position

  cooperating parts of the transmission lever.

mission.

  The terminals of the additive block are preferably stitched with those of the apparatus to facilitate the wiring. The additive block may advantageously be arranged and mounted to be returnable in the front opening, in order to function either as an additive with an opening or as an additive.

  closing, without modification of the block or the apparatus.

  An exemplary non-limiting embodiment of the invention will

  now be described with reference to the drawings.

  Figure 1 represents in perspective a dis-

  junction device equipped with an additive block according to the invention; Figure 2 is a partial sectional view on a larger scale of the circuit breaker of Figure 1; 4 - Figures 3 and 4 are sections of the additive block showing the latter respectively in

  introduction position and in working position

  in the circuit breaker; Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V of the block of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a view of the block along the plane VI-VI of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a view along the arrow VII of a portion of the transmission lever visible in Figure 2; Figure 8 is a side view of the transmission lever;

  Figures 9 to 12 show the block in different

  functional positions; Figures 13 and 14 show in plan the front of the circuit breaker according to whether the additive block is mounted additive opening or closing; Figure 15 shows schematically a

  variant embodiment of the additive block.

  The illustrated switch device is a circuit breaker

  motor having a housing 10 which comprises a front cover 11 and a rear body or base 12

  fixable on a support The housing 10 is provided frontally

  that is to say on the opposite side to the fixing side -

  of areas 13, 14 for access to power terminals 15.

  The access is made for a screwdriver via orifices 16 formed in these areas to allow fixation or

  the release of power conductors These conductors

  In addition, the housing 10 is provided with a nose 20 which carries, on a flat front surface 21 and parallel to the surfaces 13, in the openings 17 provided in upper and lower areas 18 perpendicular to the areas 13, 14. , 14, adjustment or display elements such as 22 and at least one manual control button such as 23 It also presents

  surfaces 24, 25 parallel to the areas 18 and usually

  arranged horizontally as shown in

figure 1.

  The housing 10 houses, especially in the nose 20, a mechanism

  control unit 26 cooperating with the button 23 and triggering members for controlling the displacement of contact bridges 27 These bridges are movable according to a

  X axis perpendicular to the front surface 21 and presented

  Mobile contacts 29 which cooperate with fixed contacts 28 open and close each a polar current path between two terminals 15 The opening of the contacts is effected from the mechanism 26 by action

  according to the arrow Fl on the end of a lever 30

  cable on a support of the contact bridges It can also be carried out from an electromagnet integrated in the housing or forming part of a block adjoining the housing 10; the opening action can then be exerted on an intermediate point (arm 30a) of the lever 30 along the arrow F 2 The closing of the contacts can be generated in known manner by the button 23 or the electromagnet.

  The lever 30 pivots on pivots 31 and is solemn

  lawful in the sense of closing contacts 28, 29

  by a slight spring 32 It is bent so as to pre-

  sente another arm 30b which directly controls the additive block The arms 30a, 30b form an angle between them

approximately right.

6 -

  According to the invention, an opening 33 is formed frontally

  in the surface 24 of the housing between the nose 20 and the frontal area 13 of access to the terminals 15 In the opening 33 can be introduced by translation, in the manner of a cassette, a removable additive block, for example snap or catch, whose housing 40 has a width at most equal to that of the main housing; the width of the housing 40 is here equal to that of

  housing 10, less the thickness of the side walls

  In the absence of the additive block, the opening 33 is masked by a removable strip. The depth of the casing 40 and its insertion into the casing are such that the front face of the casing 40

  not protrude from the front surface 21 of the housing 10.

  The housing 40 of the additive block consists of a body 40 a

  and a lid 40b (see Figure 6) or two half

  shells and it comprises a fixed contact member 42 and a movable contact 43 for establishing or cutting a single-break electrical connection between two screw terminals 44, The screw access openings 46 have axes D1 which

  are parallel to the axes D 2 of the terminal screws of

  15 and which are interposed between these axes to facilitate

  the wiring (see Figure 13).

  47 introduction of the conductors lead to

  a horizontal face 48 and on an opposite horizontal face

  49 of box 40 We could of course provide in

  the housing 40 a double-break electrical connection.

  On the front side of the housing 40, there is provided between

  access openings 46 to terminals 44, 45 an opening 50.

  This opening is centered on the median plane Y of the box

  tier and houses the manoeuvrable end of a latch 60

described later.

  The additive block 40 is turnable around a longitudinal axis

  pendicular to the plane of the frontal surface 21 of the disc

  This reversal allows the additive block 7 - to take two functionally distinct positions To take one of these positions, the face 49 of the housing 40 slides, when it is inserted into the opening 33, on the surface 24 of the nose 20 of the housing 10 To take the other position, the face 48 of the housing

  slides to the introduction on the surface 24.

  The following provisions are made within the

box 40 of the additive block.

  The movable contact 43 is carried by one end of an elastic blade 52 This is biased, on the side opposite the contacts, by a spring 53 of contact pressure The elastic blade is embedded at its other end in a connection piece 54 connected to terminal 44 The fixed contact 42 is carried by another

  connecting piece 55 connected to the terminal 45.

  The blade 52 contact carrier is operated by a lever 56 articulated at one end 56a on pins D axis 3 and accessible at its other end 56b, which is free, by a rear opening 57 of the housing 40 The blade 52 and the lever 56 cooperate at an intermediate point 56c of the latter In place of the lever, it is possible to

  provide a sliding actuator.

  The lock is constituted in a first variant (FIGS. 2 to 5) by a lever 60 independent of the lever 56 and cooperating with it notably in the insertion range. It is constituted in a second variant (FIG. 15) by at least one hard point snap element using an elastic effect

  and provided in the housings 10 and / or 40.

  The locking lever 60 (FIGS. 2 to 5) comprises an operating head 61 housed in the opening 50 and a projection 62 penetrating into a recess 58 of the housing 40.

  and can cling to one or the other of two

  8 - dements 63, 64 provided in the housing 10, on both sides of the front opening 33 The lever 60 pivots about an axis D 4 of the housing 40 The axis D 4 is parallel to the axis D 3 and to the longitudinal axis of the blade 52, these axes being perpendicular to the plane Y The lever 60 has a heel 66 opposite the projection 62 and applicable against the lever 56 to force it in the open position of the auxiliary contacts in the Finally, the lever 60 is biased towards its position in FIG.

  by a spring or elastic tabs 67.

  The returnable additive block can occupy a first

  position corresponding to the additive function to close

  FIG. 9 and 10) and a second position corresponding to the open additive function (FIGS. 2 to 4 and 11, 12). Suitable markings 70 F and 700 are respectively provided on the opposite faces 48, 49 of the housing. 40 of the additive block; in this way, we visualize the function actually provided by the block in place while obscuring the marking of the uninsured function The opening function is illustrated figure

  13 and the closing function 14.

  The lever 30 of the circuit breaker controls by a first arm 30 has a member carrying the power contacts and by a second arm 30 b the end tab 56 b of the lever 56 of the additive block The tab 56 b is offset relative to the

central plane Y of the housing 40.

  The arm 30b of the lever 30 terminates with a finger 71 F active for operation as a closure additive and with an active finger 710 for opening additive operation. Each finger opens the auxiliary contacts when the main contacts are open.

  (additive with closure) and closed (additive with opening).

  The fingers 71 F, 710 are aligned along axes D 5, D 6

  symmetrical with respect to the Y plane; leg 56b is

  No. 5, (additive with closure) or with D 6 (additive with 9-opening) Other fingers 71 M, 71 N, indicated in dashed lines in FIG. 7, may be provided on the lever 30 to actuate other control levers such as 56 when the additive block has other contacts (for example in the case of a four-terminal additive). The assembly and the operating mode of the additive block

described are as follows.

  When the additive block has to be loaded into the disjunc-

  the operator selects its upward side according to the desired mode and slides the housing on the horizontal surface 24 of the housing 10 to engage it in the opening 33 (FIG. 3). The projection 62 of the lever 60 is forced to fade; the lever 60 pivots clockwise and the heel 66 pushes the lever 56 which pivots in the same direction Whatever the state of the circuit breaker, it is thus certain that the tab 56 b is positioned on the right side of the finger 710 or 71 F At the end of introduction, caused by a stop 72 of the housing 10, the projection 62 is housed in the opening 63 or 64 to ensure

  the retention of the additive block It is found that the additional block

  tif is attached to the main unit without changing the depth and width of the main unit, nor disturbing its

  mounting or that of any lateral additives.

  Assuming that the chosen function is that of a closed additive (FIGS. 9 and 10), the markings 70 F are visible on the surface 49 of the housing 40. When the main contacts of the circuit breaker are closed (FIG. 9), the lever 30 is turned counterclockwise and the finger 71 F leaves the lever 56 to the left under the effect of the spring 53, so that the auxiliary contacts 42, 43 are closed When the main contacts of the circuit breaker are open (Figure 10), the lever 30 is tilted clockwise and the finger 71 F is applied to the tab 56 b The lever 56 pushes the blade 52 by compressing the spring 53 and thus separates the

contacts 42, 43.

  If the chosen function is that of additive opening (Figures 11 and 12), it is the markings 700 that are visible on the surface 48 of the housing 40 If the main contacts of the circuit breaker are closed (Figure 11), the finger 710 s Applies on the tab 56 b to open the auxiliary contacts If the main contacts are open (Figure 12), the finger 710 leaves the tab 56 b back to the right and the auxiliary contacts are closed. In the variant illustrated in FIG. 15, the control lever 56 sets itself in the position of opening of auxiliary contacts in the introduction phase. It comprises for this purpose a projection 56 d which plays the same role as the

  protrusion 62 previously described Locking the housing

  40 relative to the housing 10 is effected by means of notches or detent elements 73 using

  the elasticity of the walls of the housings or specific elements

from them.

  To unload the additive block, the operator actuates the lever 60 of the lock to erase the projection 62 (Figures 2 to 5) or disengages the notches or detent elements 73 (Figure 15), then pulls the housing 40

out of the box 10.

  The invention has been described with reference to a circuit breaker

  It also applies to interrupters

  such as contactors, contactors, circuit breakers or line circuit breakers. Other modifications may be made to the embodiment described. The pivoting transmission lever and the pivoting lever of FIG.

  maneuver may be replaced by moving parts

çable in translation.

11 -

Claims (10)

claims   1 Electromechanical switch device taking   a main housing with several electrical poles   each of which is associated with at least one movable contact cooperating with a fixed contact and corresponding power terminals, and a transmission element able to assume an on position and a stop position depending on the state of a control member. which governs the opening and / or closing of the contacts, an additive block comprising a housing which can be attached to the main housing and which has an electrical circuit with auxiliary contacts operable by the transmission element, characterized in that:   the main housing (10) has a boundary opening   tale (33) located between an area (13) of access to the power terminals and a nose (20) carrying maneuvering and / or visualization elements, and   the housing (40) of the additive block is a sus-   it can be inserted and retained in this opening.   ture. Apparatus according to claim 1,   characterized in that the housing (40) of the addi-   tif is introduced into the front opening (33) by sliding on a horizontal surface (24) of the nose (20) of the main housing (10).   Apparatus according to claim 2,   characterized in that the housing (40) of the addi-   tif rests in mounted position on the horizontal surface (24) of the nose (20). 12 -   4 Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to   3, characterized in that the transmission element of the main housing is a pivoting lever (30) and that the additive block comprises an actuating member (56) of the auxiliary contacts (42, 43), urged by an arm (30b) of the pivoting lever (30).   Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the transmission lever (30) has a receiving arm (30a) biased by a   trigger mechanism and / or the armature of an electric   included in the main housing (10) or   assistant to it and a control arm (30b)   cable on the operating member (56).   6 Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the receiving arm (30 a) and the control arm (30 b) are between them an approximately right angle, the actuating member (56) is a lever pivoting around an axis (D 3) parallel to the pivot axis   (31) of the transmission lever (30).   Apparatus according to one of claims 4 to   6, characterized in that each channel of the additive block is single-cut and comprises a movable contact (43) carried by a flexible blade (52) that can be accessed by the body maneuvering device (56).   8 Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 7   characterized in that the additive block comprises erasable projection means (62) cooperating with a wall 13 - of the main housing (10) to ensure in the phase   introducing a forcing of the operating lever (56).   Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 8   characterized in that the additive block is associated with a latch (60) accessible from the front of the main housing and for retaining the additive block in the front opening.   Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 9   characterized in that the terminals (44, 45) of the housing   tier (40) of the additive block are quinconced with the   terminals (15) of the main housing (10).   11 Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to ,   characterized in that the housing (40) of the addi-   tif has a width at most equal to that of the housing (10) of the main apparatus and a depth such that   mounted position the housing (40) does not exceed the sur-   front face (21) of the housing of the main apparatus.   12 Electromechanical switch device taking:   a main housing with several electrical poles   each of which is associated with at least one movable contact cooperating with a fixed contact and corresponding power terminals, and a transmission element able to assume an on position and a stop position depending on the state of a control member. which governs the opening and / or closing of the contacts, an additive block comprising a housing which can be attached to the main housing and which has an electric circuit 14 - with auxiliary contacts operable by the transmission element, characterized in that :   the housing (40) of the additive block is a sus-   capable of being inserted and removably retained in an opening (33) of the main housing (10), and   has an actuator (56) for the auxiliary contacts   the transmission element of the main housing is a pivoting lever (30) having a receiving arm (30a) biased by a triggering mechanism and / or the armature of an electromagnet included in the main housing (10) or adjunct to it, the receiving arm   being applicable on a medium of the main contacts   and a control arm (30b) applicable to the operating member (56).