JP6098078B2 - DC switch and DC circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a DC switch and a DC circuit breaker.

  In recent years, an increasing number of houses have installed solar panel modules in which a plurality of solar panels are interconnected for the purpose of energy saving and power saving. The solar panel generates direct-current power from solar light energy using the photovoltaic effect. The solar panel module is connected to a distribution board (breaker) through an inverter that converts DC power into AC power. The electric power generated by the solar panel module is supplied to an outlet provided in the house via a distribution board.

  Usually, for example, a DC switch disclosed in Patent Document 1 is disposed between the solar panel module and the inverter. The DC switch switches on / off the supply of DC power generated by the solar panel module to the inverter. By switching the DC switch from on to off, maintenance work of the solar panel module can be performed safely.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-154458

  By the way, the amount of photovoltaic power generation is proportional to the number of photovoltaic panel modules. For this reason, a large number of solar panel modules are installed in a house that supplies most of the power used by solar power generation. Further, as many DC switches as the number of units in which a plurality of solar panel modules are connected are required. Since the DC switch is attached to a house, when the number of DC switches increases in proportion to the number of solar panel modules, the space occupied by the plurality of DC switches increases. Since the space for installing the DC switch in a house is limited, if the space occupied by the plurality of DC switches increases, there is a possibility that the plurality of DC switches cannot be installed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a small DC switch.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a fixed contact having a fixed contact and electrically connected to the first terminal, and a movable contact contacting and separating from the fixed contact. A plurality of sets of opening / closing portions arranged in parallel as a set of movable contacts that are electrically connected to the terminals, and an opening / closing operation that opens and closes the fixed contacts and the plurality of sets of movable contacts in conjunction with the operation of the handle. And a plurality of sets of electric circuits from the first terminals to the second terminals in a direction orthogonal to the parallel arrangement direction of the open / close sections. , And are provided so as to be different from each other and partially overlap each other in the juxtaposed direction.

  Further, in the above configuration, the case has two spaces penetrating inward and outward with at least one terminal among the plurality of first and second terminals sandwiched in the parallel arrangement direction. .

Further, in the above configuration, the case includes a pair of side walls facing each other with the plurality of first and second terminals sandwiched in the juxtaposed direction, and one of the pair of side walls is formed to be foldable. and through the fragile portion, characterized in that to obtain Bei the concatenated terminal corresponding portion to the body portion of the one side wall such.

  Further, in the above configuration, at least one of the plurality of sets of opening / closing parts has an arc extinguishing part, and the arc extinguishing part intersects with a contact / separation direction of the movable contact and the fixed contact 2, comprising: two magnets facing each other with the movable contact and the fixed contact in between, and a yoke connected between the two magnets to form a magnetic path.

  In the DC switch having the above-described configuration, when an abnormal current flows through at least one of the plurality of electric circuits from the first terminals to the second terminals, the movable contact is fixed to the movable switch through the switch mechanism. It is a direct current circuit breaker provided with an abnormal current interrupting means for separating the contact.

  According to the DC switch and the DC circuit breaker of the present invention, the size can be further reduced.

The side view of the direct-current switch with the side cover removed. Sectional drawing in the 2-2 line of FIG. 1 containing a side cover. Sectional drawing in the 3-3 line of FIG. 1 containing a side cover. Sectional drawing in the 4-4 line | wire of FIG. 1 containing a side cover. The exploded perspective view of an arc extinguishing part. Sectional drawing which shows the arc of an arc extinguishing part, and a magnetic path. The perspective view of a DC switch. The perspective view of a side cover. (A) is sectional drawing in the 9-9 line | wire of FIG. 8, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state from which the 2nd side wall part was removed from the side cover.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying a DC switch of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the case 5 of the DC switch 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and has two sets of electric circuits 10a and 10b corresponding to a plus pole and a minus pole. The electric paths 10a and 10b extend in the longitudinal direction of the case 5, and input terminals 11a and 11b and output terminals 12a and 12b exposed from the case 5 are provided at both ends thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, the case 5 includes a first case 5a, a second case 5b, and a side cover 5c. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the input terminal 11a and the output terminal 12a are between the first case 5a and the second case 5b, and the input terminal 11b and the output terminal 12b are between the second case 5b and the second case 5b. It is each arrange | positioned between the side covers 5c.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a positive terminal + P1 and a negative terminal −P1 of a solar panel module (not shown) are connected to the input terminals 11a and 11b, respectively. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the plus terminal + P 1 and the minus terminal −P 1 are pressed into contact with the input terminals 11 a and 11 b by screws 7. The input terminals 11a and 11b are provided at different positions in both the height direction and the width direction. That is, the input terminal 11a is located at the upper right in the figure of the input terminal 11b, and the input terminal 11b is located at the lower left of the input terminal 11a in the figure.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a positive terminal + P2 and a negative terminal −P2 of a power converter (not shown) are connected to the output terminals 12a and 12b, respectively. Specifically, the plus terminal + P2 and the minus terminal −P2 are in pressure contact with the output terminals 12a and 12b by screws 7. The output terminals 12a and 12b are provided at different positions in both the height direction and the width direction. That is, the output terminal 12a is located at the upper left in the figure of the output terminal 12b, and the output terminal 12b is located at the lower right in the figure of the output terminal 12a. Thus, the DC switch 1 can be electrically connected between the solar panel module and the power converter via the input terminals 11a and 11b and the output terminals 12a and 12b.

Next, the internal configuration of the DC switch 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the case 5 is provided with first and second opening / closing portions 30 a and 30 b, a handle 15, and a link mechanism 16 that constitute both the electric paths 10 a and 10 b. The first and second opening / closing parts 30a and 30b and the link mechanism 16 constitute an opening / closing mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first and second opening / closing portions 30 a and 30 b are provided in steps along the width direction of the DC switch 1. The first opening / closing part 30a is located on the upper side, and the second opening / closing part 30b is located on the lower side. That is, the positional relationship between the first and second opening / closing portions 30a and 30b is the same as the positional relationship between the input terminals 11a and 11b and the positional relationship between the output terminals 12a and 12b. Further, the first and second opening / closing portions 30a and 30b are positioned so as to partially overlap each other when viewed from the height direction. Specifically, the right side portion of the first opening / closing portion 30a and the left side portion of the second opening / closing portion 30b overlap in the vertical direction (height direction). Note that a portion where the first opening / closing portion 30a and the second opening / closing portion 30b overlap in the vertical direction is separated to such an extent that the first opening / closing portion 30a and the second opening / closing portion 30b are not affected by the magnetic flux generated during the opening / closing operation. .

  A space 14a is formed in the case 5 on the right side of the first opening / closing part 30a, that is, on the upper side of the second opening / closing part 30b. Further, a space 14b is formed in the case 5 below the first opening / closing part 30a, that is, on the left side of the second opening / closing part 30b.

  As shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2, the same DC switches 1 are arranged in the same direction along the width direction. Each DC switch 1 is provided corresponding to the number of solar panel modules. In this case, the space 14a inside the central DC switch 1 is between the first switch 30a in the central DC switch 1 and the first switch 30a in the DC switch 1 adjacent to the right. It is spaced apart by a distance L1. Further, a space 14b inside the right adjacent DC switch 1 is provided between the second switch 30b in the central DC switch 1 and the second switch 30b in the right adjacent DC switch 1. It is spaced apart by a distance L2. That is, the first opening / closing parts 30a of the adjacent DC switches 1 are separated from each other by a distance L1, and the second opening / closing parts 30b are separated from each other by a distance L2. The distances L1 and L2 are such distances that the open / close sections 30a and 30b of the adjacent DC switches 1 are not affected by the magnetic flux generated when the first and second open / close sections 30a and 30b open and close. ing. Thus, by providing the spaces 14a and 14b, the first and second opening / closing portions 30a and 30b are less susceptible to the influence of magnetic flux.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first and second opening / closing sections 30a and 30b include fixed contacts 17a and 17b connected to the input terminals 11a and 11b, and movable contacts 18a connected to the output terminals 12a and 12b. , 18b, and arc extinguishing portions 19a, 19b covering the distal ends of the fixed contacts 17a, 17b and the distal ends of the movable contacts 18a, 18b. In addition, the front-end | tip part of fixed contact 17a, 17b and the front-end | tip part of movable contact 18a, 18b mutually oppose in an up-down direction.

  The operation part 15a of the handle 15 is exposed to the outside. The handle 15 is supported by the link mechanism 16. The link mechanism 16 supports a part of the movable contacts 18a and 18b. The link mechanism 16 shifts the movable contacts 18a and 18b in the height direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) as the handle 15 rotates.

  The fixed contacts 17a and 17b are formed in a thin plate shape extending in the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1). Further, fixed contacts 21a and 21b are formed on the surfaces of the movable contacts 18a and 18b at the front ends of the fixed contacts 17a and 17b.

  The movable contacts 18a and 18b are formed in a thin plate shape extending in the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in the drawing), like the fixed contacts 17a and 17b. In addition, movable contacts 22a and 22b are formed on the surfaces of the fixed contacts 17a and 17b at the front ends of the movable contacts 18a and 18b. The movable contacts 22a and 22b can be brought into and out of contact with the fixed contacts 21a and 21b as the movable contacts 18a and 18b move up and down.

The fixed contacts 17a, 17b and the movable contacts 18a, 18b of the second opening / closing part 30b have the same configuration as the first opening / closing part 30a described above.
The arc-extinguishing parts 19a, 19b of the first and second opening / closing parts 30a, 30b have different configurations. First, the configuration of the arc extinguishing part 19a of the first opening / closing part 30a will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the arc extinguishing part 19 a of the first opening / closing part 30 a includes a magnetic yoke 31, a pair of permanent magnets 32, and an insulating holder 33.
Each permanent magnet 32 is formed in a square flat plate shape, and an S pole and an N pole are magnetized in the thickness direction.

  The insulating holder 33 is formed in a substantially U-shape that opens to the lower side in the drawing. Specifically, the insulating holder 33 includes a pair of side walls 33a and 33b and an upper wall 33c that connects the side walls 33a and 33b. A storage hole 33d in which the permanent magnet 32 can be mounted is formed on the outer surfaces of the side walls 33a and 33b.

The magnetic yoke 31 is formed of a magnetic material such as ferrite and is formed in a U shape that covers the outer surface of the insulating holder 33.
The permanent magnet 32 is fitted into the storage hole 33 d of the insulating holder 33. Then, the magnetic yoke 31 is fitted into the insulating holder 33 from above. The U-shaped arm portion of the magnetic yoke 31 is maintained in contact with the outer surface of the permanent magnet 32. The magnetic yoke 31 forms a magnetic path between the two permanent magnets 32.

Next, the configuration of the arc extinguishing part 19b of the second opening / closing part 30b will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the arc extinguishing part 19 b of the second opening / closing part 30 b has a pair of permanent magnets 35 having the same shape as the permanent magnet 32. Both permanent magnets 35 face each other in the width direction with the movable contact 18b and the fixed contact 17b interposed therebetween.

Next, the configuration of the periphery of the output terminal 12b in the case 5 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, first and second side wall portions 51 and 52 are formed in a portion corresponding to the output terminal 12 b (see FIG. 3) in the side cover 5 c. The first side wall 51 is provided above the second side wall 52. Gaps are formed between the first side wall 51 and the second side wall 52, and between the second side wall 52 and the side cover 5c (main body). As shown in FIG. 9A, the root portion 52 a of the second side wall portion 52 is formed with a cut 53 as a fragile portion. For this reason, the thickness of the root portion 52 a of the second side wall portion 52 is thinner than the thickness of other portions of the second side wall portion 52. As shown in FIG. 3, the first and second side wall portions 51 and 52 prevent the output terminal 12b from being exposed. As shown in FIG. 3, a first gap portion 55 is formed in a portion corresponding to the output terminal 12b in the first case 5a and the second case 5b. The first gap 55 and the second side wall 52 face each other with the output terminal 12b interposed therebetween.

Next, the operation of the DC switch 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the movable contacts 18 a and 18 b are separated from the fixed contacts 17 a and 17 b through the operation of the handle 15 in a state where current flows through both the electric paths 10 a and 10 b. At this time, an arc is generated between the fixed contacts 21a and 21b and the movable contacts 22a and 22b. The arc is generated so as to intersect the magnetic flux generated between the permanent magnets 32 and 32.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the permanent magnet 32 in the first opening / closing portion 30a causes the arc generated between the fixed contact 21a and the movable contact 22a to act on the arc generated by the Lorentz force due to electromagnetic mechanics. Elongate. At this time, the insulating holder 33 protects the permanent magnet 32 and the magnetic yoke 31 so that the arc does not bridge the permanent magnet 32 and the magnetic yoke 31. The arc voltage can be increased by extending the arc. When this arc voltage exceeds the voltage applied between the fixed contact 21a and the movable contact 22a, the arc is extinguished. Therefore, the fixed contact 21a and the movable contact 22a are electrically disconnected.

  Similarly, the permanent magnet 35 in the second opening / closing part 30b extinguishes the arc by extending the arc. Therefore, the stationary contact 21b and the movable contact 22b are also electrically disconnected.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electric paths 10a and 10b including the first and second opening / closing parts 30a and 30b are different from each other in the vertical direction. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the first and second opening / closing parts 30a and 30b are provided so as to overlap in the width direction. That is, they overlap. Thereby, the magnitude | size of the width direction of the DC switch 1 is suppressed. As a result, the overall size when the plurality of DC switches 1 are arranged is suppressed.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the input terminals 11a and 11b and the output terminals 12a and 12b are stepped in the vertical direction, so that they are connected to the screw 7 for press-contacting the terminals connected to each other. A thing with a large diameter can be adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, a cut 53 is formed in the root portion 52 a of the second side wall portion 52. For this reason, as shown in FIG.9 (b), if the force to the width direction of case 5 is applied to the 2nd side wall part 52, the 2nd side wall part 52 will be easily bent from the root part 52a. Thereby, the 2nd side wall part 52 can be removed from the side cover 5c. As shown in FIG. 7, a portion from which the second side wall 52 is removed is referred to as a second gap 56. Since the second side wall portion 52 is formed so as to face the first gap portion 55 with the output terminal 12b interposed therebetween, the second gap portion 56 has the first gap portion with the output terminal 12b interposed therebetween. Opposite to 55. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, the plate-like connecting bar 57 can be inserted into the first and second gap portions 55 and 56 and attached to the output terminal 12b. As a result, when the plurality of DC switches 1 are arranged, the output terminals 12 b of the plurality of DC switches 1 can be connected to each other via the connecting bar 57. When connected in this way, one output terminal 12b among the plurality of DC switches 1 may be connected to the power converter. In other words, the output terminal 12b of each other DC switch 1 does not need to be connected to a wiring for connecting to the power converter. As a result, wiring becomes easy.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The DC switch 1 is formed so that the electric circuits 10a and 10b including the first and second opening / closing portions 30a and 30b overlap each other in the vertical direction and overlap in the width direction (overlapping). did. Thereby, the magnitude | size of the width direction of the DC switch 1 is suppressed. As a result, the overall size when the plurality of DC switches 1 are arranged is suppressed.

  (2) The first and second gap portions 55 and 56 are provided so as to sandwich the output terminal 12b in one width direction. Thereby, the plate-like connecting bar 57 can be inserted into the first and second gap portions 55 and 56 and attached to the output terminal 12b. As a result, when the plurality of DC switches 1 are arranged, the output terminals 12 b of the plurality of DC switches 1 can be connected to each other via the connecting bar 57. If it connects in this way, it is not necessary to connect a wiring to the output terminal 12b of each DC switch 1. FIG. As a result, wiring is not complicated.

  (3) The notch 53 is provided in the root portion 52 a of the second side wall portion 52. Thereby, the 2nd side wall part 52 can be removed from the side cover 5c by folding from the root part 52a. Thus, the 2nd clearance part 56 can be provided by the easy operation | work of folding from the root part 52a. In addition, when the second gap portion 56 does not need to be provided, that is, when the second side wall portion 52 is not removed, the second side wall portion 52 is connected to the first side wall portion 51 and the output terminal 12b is externally provided. Prevent exposure. Thereby, it can suppress that other wiring contacts the output terminal 12b.

  (4) The magnetic yoke 31 is provided in the arc extinguishing part 19a of the first opening / closing part 30a. Thereby, a magnetic path is formed between the magnetic yoke 31 and the permanent magnet 32. For this reason, the arc extinguishing part 19a is not easily affected by magnetism. Therefore, the space required for the arc extinguishing part 19a can be reduced.

In addition, you may change each said embodiment as follows.
-You may comprise the DC switch 1 in the said embodiment as a DC circuit breaker. As shown in FIG. 1, the DC circuit breaker 60 includes a solenoid actuator 13 as an abnormal current interrupting unit. The movable portion 13 a of the solenoid actuator 13 is connected to the link mechanism 16. The solenoid actuator 13 operates the movable portion 13a when the overcurrent flows through the electric paths 10a and 10b, and separates the movable contacts 18a and 18b from the fixed contacts 17a and 17b.

In the above embodiment, the state in which a plurality of DC switches 1 are arranged in the width direction has been described, but the arrangement is not limited to this. Further, the DC switch 1 may be used alone.
In the above-described embodiment, one DC switch 1 is provided with two electric circuits 10a and 10b. However, the number of electric circuits may be three or more. If a plurality of electric circuits are provided so as to overlap (overlap) in the width direction, the size of the DC switch 1 in the width direction can be suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, one DC switch 1 is provided with two electric circuits 10a and 10b, and two electric circuits 10a and 10b are provided with arc extinguishing portions 19a and 19b, respectively. Either one of the arc portions may be omitted.

Moreover, the structure of the arc extinguishing parts 19a and 19b can be changed as appropriate. For example, the magnetic yoke 31 may be omitted from the arc extinguishing portion 19a.
In the above embodiment, the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the solar panel module are connected to the input terminals 11a and 11b of the electric circuits 10a and 10b, respectively. However, only the plus terminal from each solar panel module or only the minus terminal may be connected to the input terminals 11a and 11b of the electric circuits 10a and 10b. Further, the input terminals 11a and 11b and the output terminals 12a and 12b may be used in reverse.

  In the above embodiment, the second side wall 52 may be omitted. If comprised in this way, the 1st and 2nd clearance gaps 55 and 56 will be formed, even if the operation | work which removes the 2nd side wall part 52 is not required.

-In above-mentioned embodiment, the notch 53 should just be a shape thinner than the 2nd side wall part 52, such as groove shape.
In the above embodiment, the DC switch 1 is applied to a system that transmits power generated by sunlight, but may be applied to other power transmission systems.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... DC switch, 5 ... Case, 10a, 10b ... Electric circuit, 15 ... Handle, 17a, 17b ... Fixed contact, 18a, 18b ... Movable contact, 19a, 19b ... Arc extinguishing part, 21a, 21b ... Fixed contact 22a, 22b ... movable contacts, 30a, 30b ... opening / closing parts.

Claims (5)

A fixed contact having a fixed contact and electrically connected to the first terminal; a movable contact having a movable contact contacting and separating from the fixed contact and electrically connected to the second terminal; , And a plurality of sets of opening / closing sections arranged in parallel, and an opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the fixed contacts and the plurality of sets of movable contacts in conjunction with the operation of the handle. In the vessel
The plurality of sets of electric circuits from the first terminals to the second terminals are different from each other in a direction orthogonal to the juxtaposed direction of the open / close parts, and a part of each of the electric paths in the juxtaposed direction A DC switch characterized by being provided to overlap. The DC switch according to claim 1,
The case includes a DC switch having two spaces penetrating inward and outward with at least one of the plurality of first and second terminals sandwiched in the juxtaposed direction. The DC switch according to claim 2,
The case includes a pair of side walls facing each other across the plurality of first and second terminals in the juxtaposed direction, and one of the pair of side walls is interposed through a fragile portion formed to be foldable. DC switchgear and wherein the obtaining Bei the concatenated terminal corresponding portion to the body portion of the one side wall. In the direct-current switch as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
At least one of the plurality of sets of opening / closing parts has an arc extinguishing part,
The arc-extinguishing portion includes two magnets facing each other with the movable contact and the fixed contact in between in a direction intersecting with a contact / separation direction of the movable contact and the fixed contact. And a yoke that forms a magnetic path by being connected to the DC switch.   The DC switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when an abnormal current flows in at least one of a plurality of electric paths from each first terminal to each second terminal, A DC circuit breaker provided with an abnormal current interrupting means for separating the movable contact from the fixed contact.