JP7052623B2 - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a circuit breaker such as a molded case circuit breaker or an earth-leakage circuit breaker, and relates to a structure for fixing an opening / closing mechanism portion to a housing.

The circuit breaker is a fixed contact corresponding to each phase of the main circuit, a movable contact that rotates so that the movable contact can contact the fixed contact of the fixed contact, and a link connected to the movable contact inside the housing. A mechanism, an opening / closing mechanism for operating the link mechanism, etc. are incorporated.

The opening / closing mechanism portion includes a handle that is rotatably supported by the opening / closing mechanism portion housing, and an opening / closing mechanism spring that acts on the link mechanism by throwing and inputting by operating the handle.

The opening / closing mechanism fixed to the fixed position inside the housing has the reaction force of the operating force (hereinafter referred to as the operating reaction force) when the handle opens / closes the movable contactor, and the operating reaction force. The opening and closing mechanism that acts in the direction orthogonal to each other. The throwing input of the spring acts. Therefore, the opening / closing mechanism must be securely fixed inside the housing so as not to move from the fixed position inside the housing even if an operation reaction force or a throwing input is applied.

For example, the circuit breaker of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the opening / closing mechanism portion is fixed at a fixed position inside the housing by screwing.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-31983

However, in a structure such as the circuit breaker of Patent Document 1 in which the opening / closing mechanism is fixed inside the housing by screwing, a space for rotating the screw must be provided inside the housing, which is a small circuit. Circuit breakers are structurally constrained.

Therefore, a structure is also conceivable in which the opening / closing mechanism-side press-fitting portion formed in a part of the opening / closing mechanism portion is press-fitted into the housing-side press-fitting portion formed in a part of the housing. However, although this structure does not require a space inside the housing, it is necessary to strictly control the component dimensions of the opening / closing mechanism side press-fitting portion and the housing-side press-fitting portion.

In the present invention, it is not necessary to secure a space for fixing the opening / closing mechanism inside the housing, and even a small circuit breaker is not structurally restricted, and the opening / closing mechanism is placed inside the housing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a circuit breaker that does not require strict component size control for fixing to.

In order to achieve the above object, the circuit breaker according to one aspect of the present invention includes a fixed contact and a movable contact that rotates so that the movable contact can contact the fixed contact of the fixed contact inside the housing. , A link mechanism connected to a movable contactor and an opening / closing mechanism for operating the link mechanism are incorporated. The opening / closing mechanism portion includes a handle and an opening / closing mechanism spring that applies input to the link mechanism by operating the handle. Then, the operating reaction force generated when the handle is operated and the operating reaction force are generated when the housing-side engaging portion formed on the housing and the mechanism portion-side engaging portion formed on the opening / closing mechanism portion come into contact with each other. A fixing force acts on the throwing input of the opening / closing mechanism spring generated in the direction orthogonal to the opening / closing mechanism portion, and the opening / closing mechanism portion is fixed to the housing.

According to the circuit breaker according to the present invention, it is not necessary to secure a space for fixing the opening / closing mechanism portion inside the housing, and even a small circuit breaker is not structurally restricted. Further, according to the circuit breaker according to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the need for strict component size control for fixing the opening / closing mechanism portion inside the housing.

It is sectional drawing of the circuit breaker which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the housing of the circuit breaker which concerns on this invention, and the opening and closing mechanism part fixed to the inside of the housing. It is a figure which shows the inside of the opening / closing mechanism part. FIG. 2 is a view showing the inside of the housing from the opposite side in the short direction with respect to FIG. 2. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the opening and closing mechanism part is positioned inside the housing. It is a figure which shows the state which the opening and closing mechanism part is positioned inside the housing. It is a figure which shows the state which the opening and closing mechanism part is fixed inside the housing. It is a figure which shows the structure of the modification which fixes the opening / closing mechanism part in the inside of a housing.

Next, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings below, the same or similar parts are designated by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and the plane dimensions, the ratio of the thickness of each layer, etc. are different from the actual ones. Therefore, the specific thickness and dimensions should be determined in consideration of the following explanation. In addition, it goes without saying that parts having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included between the drawings.

Further, the embodiments shown below exemplify devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention describes the material, shape, structure, and arrangement of constituent parts. Etc. are not specified as the following. The technical idea of the present invention may be modified in various ways within the technical scope specified by the claims described in the claims.

In addition, the terms indicating the directions such as "top", "bottom", "bottom", "front", "rear", "long direction", "short direction", etc. described in the following explanation are attached drawings. It is used with reference to the direction of.
[Embodiment]

The circuit breaker 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a device connected to a three-phase external power supply, and is movable with a movable contact 3 having a movable contact 3a at the tip in a case 2 formed of a resin mold. A movable contact support portion 4 that rotatably supports the contact 3 is housed in the movable contact support portion 4. Further, in the case 2, a fixed contact 5a having a fixed contact 5a in contact with the movable contact 3a and connected to the power supply side terminal 6, an opening / closing mechanism portion 7 for opening / closing and driving the movable contact 3 are provided. A load-side terminal board 8 connected to the movable contact 3 is housed. Further, the case also houses an overcurrent trip device 9 connected to the power supply side terminal 6 side and an arc extinguishing chamber 10 for extinguishing an arc generated between the movable contact 3a and the fixed contact 5a. ing.

The case 2 is composed of a case main body 11 and a cover 12 mounted on the upper portion of the case main body 11.

The case body 11 is composed of a lower case 13 forming the bottom of the circuit breaker 1 and an intermediate case 14 mounted on the upper part of the lower case 13.

The opening / closing mechanism portion 7 includes a handle 16 rotatably supported by the opening / closing mechanism frame body 15 described later, a link mechanism 18 connected to the movable contact support portion 4 via a toggle link 17, and an opening / closing mechanism spring 19. I have. Reference numeral 23 is a trip bar operated by the overcurrent trip device 9.

In the circuit breaker 1 of the above embodiment, when the link mechanism 18 of the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 is operated by the handle 16, the link mechanism 18 performs a predetermined operation via the toggle link 17 by the throwing input of the opening / closing mechanism spring 19 and is movable. The movable contact 3a of the contact 3 is brought into contact with and separated from the fixed contact 5a of the fixed contact 5.

Further, when an overcurrent flows through the power supply side terminal 6 and the load side terminal plate 8 connected to the electric circuit (not shown), the overcurrent trip device 9 operates, the trip bar 23 operates, and the opening / closing mechanism is operated. The link mechanism 18 performs a predetermined operation based on the throwing input of the spring 19, and the movable contact 3 is separated from the fixed contact 5.

Next, a structure for fixing the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 and the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 to the intermediate case 14 will be described.

First, the structure of the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 includes an opening / closing mechanism frame 15 formed by bending a metal plate having a pair of side plates 15a and 15b facing each other in parallel, and the side plates 15a. It includes a handle 16 rotatably supported by a handle shaft (not shown) connected between 15b, a link mechanism 18, and an opening / closing mechanism spring 19. Reference numeral 22 in FIG. 2 is a handle shutter with OFF and ON name plates 22a and 22b attached to the opening / closing mechanism frame 15 so that the handle 16 projects from the opening.

As shown in FIG. 3, the opening / closing mechanism spring 19 has one end engaged with the handle side pin 20 provided on the handle 16 and the other end engaged with the link side pin 21 provided on the link mechanism 18, and is movable. By expanding and contracting when the contactor support portion 4 is opened and closed, the moving action direction is reversed with respect to the handle 16.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, a cylindrical protrusion 24 that protrudes toward the other side plate 15b is formed near the lower end edge 15a1 of one side plate 15a.

Further, a plate-side engaging portion 25 is formed on the side edge 15a2 of one side plate 15a. The plate-side engaging portion 25 is provided with an inclined slit 25a in the side plate 15b, so that a deformable engaging piece 25b is formed on the outside of the side edge 15a2 side.

As shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, the engaging piece 25b is a portion that can be deformed to a direction substantially along the axis P of the opening / closing mechanism spring 19, and when deformed, the tip portion 25b1 is positioned above the pre-deformation position. do.

Further, (not shown), a cylindrical protrusion 24 that protrudes toward the other side plate 15b is also formed near the lower end edge 15b1 of the other side plate 15b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an engaging piece 25b of the plate-side engaging portion 25 is also formed on the side edge 15b2 of the other side plate 15b.

Next, the structure of the intermediate case 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4.

The intermediate case 14 mounted on the upper part of the lower case 13 is an external rectangular parallelepiped member, and has an arc extinguishing chamber 10, a movable contact 3, a movable contact support portion 4, and a fixed contact 5 incorporated inside the lower case 13. A bottom portion 30 is formed to close the bottom portion 30, and a three-phase overcurrent tripping device 9 is attached to one end of the bottom portion 30 in the long direction, and an opening / closing mechanism portion 7 is fixed to the central portion of the bottom portion 30. To.

At the center of the bottom 30 of the intermediate case 14, a pair of partition walls 31 and 32 for partitioning the phases are formed side by side in the short direction. Further, on the bottom portion 30 near the pair of partition wall portions 31, 32, two side plate insertion slits 33, 34 extending linearly in the elongated direction are formed in parallel with each other.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the side where the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 of one of the partition wall portions 31 is fixed, a first engaging surface 31a having a plane extending in the short direction and the first engaging surface 31a A second engaging surface 31b having a plane extending orthogonally in the elongated direction and a partition wall side engaging portion 31c protruding from the upper part of the second engaging surface 31b are formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the side where the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 of the other partition wall portion 32 is fixed, a plane extends in the short direction to the first engaging surface 32a and the first engaging surface 32a. A second engaging surface 32b having a plane extending orthogonally in the elongated direction and a partition wall side engaging portion 32c protruding from the upper part of the second engaging surface 26 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a protrusion 24 formed on the lower end edge 15a1 of the one side plate 15a described above can enter a part of the inner wall of the one side plate insertion slit 33 formed in the bottom portion 30. A joint groove 33a is formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an engaging groove 34a in which the protrusion 24 formed on the lower end edge 15b1 of the other side plate 15b enters a part of the inner wall of the other side plate insertion slit 34 formed in the bottom portion 30 is formed. It is formed.

Next, a structure for fixing the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 to the bottom portion 30 of the intermediate case 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 is positioned and arranged at the center of the bottom portion 30 of the intermediate case 14.

At this time, the lower end edges of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b constituting the opening / closing mechanism frame 15 are inserted into the two side plate insertion slits 33 and 34 formed in the bottom portion 30 of the intermediate case 14.

At this time, the protrusion 24 formed on the lower end edge 15a1 of the one side plate 15a enters the engaging groove 33a formed in a part of the inner wall of the one side plate insertion slit 33, and the other side plate insertion slit 34 By inserting the protrusion 24 formed on the lower end edge 15b1 of the other side plate 15b into the engagement groove 34a formed in a part of the inner wall, positioning of the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 with respect to the bottom portion 30 is performed (see FIG. 6). ..

Here, the side end surface of one side plate 15a of the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 abuts on the first engaging surface 31a of the partition wall portion 31, and the surface on the side end surface side faces the second engaging surface 31b of the partition wall portion 31. It becomes a contact state. Further, the engaging piece 25b of the plate-side engaging portion 25 formed on one side plate 15a is located below the partition wall-side engaging portion 32c protruding from the second engaging surface 31b.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the side end surface of the other side plate 15b of the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 abuts on the first engaging surface 32a of the partition wall portion 32, and the surface on the side end surface side is the partition wall portion 32. The second engaging surface 32b is in a surface contact state. Further, the engaging piece 25b of the plate-side engaging portion 25 formed on the other side plate 15b is located below the partition wall-side engaging portion 32c protruding from the second engaging surface 32b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, by applying an external force in the direction of arrow G to the engaging piece 25b of the plate-side engaging portion 25 of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b using a tool such as a screwdriver. , The opening / closing mechanism spring 19 is deformed in a direction substantially along the axis P.

As a result, the tip end portion 25b1 of the engagement piece 25b of one side plate 15a abuts on the lower surface facing the bottom portion 30 of the intermediate case 14 of the partition wall side engagement portion 31c, and as shown in FIG. 7, the other end portion 25b1 abuts. The tip portion 25b1 of the engaging piece 25b of the side plate 15b abuts on the lower surface of the partition wall side engaging portion 32c facing the bottom portion 30 of the intermediate case 14, so that the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 is brought into the bottom portion 30 of the intermediate case 14. It is fixed.

Here, when the handle 16 is operated, the operation reaction force acts on the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 in the left-right direction of FIG.

As a fixing force against the operating reaction force of the handle 16, the side surface of the engaging piece 25b of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b abuts on the first engaging surface 31a of the partition wall 31 and the first engaging surface 32a of the partition wall 32. Since the protrusions 24 of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b are inserted into the engaging grooves 33a and 34a of the pair of side plate insertion slits 33 and 34, the arrows FH1 and FH2 in opposite directions shown in FIG. Fixing force works.

Further, the opening / closing mechanism spring 19 that expands / contracts when the movable contact support portion 4 is opened / closed is subjected to a throwing input in a direction orthogonal to the operating reaction force of the handle 16.

As a fixing force for the throwing input of the opening / closing mechanism spring 19, the tip portion 25b1 of the engaging piece 25b of one side plate 15a abuts on the lower surface of the partition wall side engaging portion 31c, and the engaging piece 25b of the other side plate 15b. When the tip portion 25b1 of the above abuts on the lower surface of the partition wall side engaging portion 32c, the fixing forces of the arrows FV1 and FV2 in opposite directions as shown in FIG. 7 act.

Here, the housing described in the present invention corresponds to the intermediate case 14. Further, the housing-side engaging portion formed in the housing in which the fixing force acts against the operating reaction force described in the present invention is the engaging grooves 33a, 34a formed in the pair of side plate insertion slits 33, 34. Corresponds to the first engaging surfaces 31a, 32a of the partition wall portions 31, 32. Further, the mechanism portion side engaging portion formed in the opening / closing mechanism portion in which the fixing force acts against the operation reaction force described in the present invention is paired with the protrusion portion 24 formed in the pair of side plates 15a and 15b. It corresponds to the deformed engaging piece 25b formed on the side plates 15a and 15b. Further, the housing-side engaging portions formed in the housing in which the fixing force acts on the throwing input described in the present invention are the partition wall-side engaging portions 31c and 32c of the partition wall portions 31 and 32, and a pair of side plates. It corresponds to the insertion slits 33 and 34. Then, the mechanism-side engaging portion formed in the opening / closing mechanism portion in which the fixing force acts on the throwing input described in the present invention is the deformed engaging piece 25b formed in the pair of side plates 15a and 15b. , Corresponds to the lower end edges 15a1, 15b1 of the pair of side plates 15a, 15b.

Next, the effect of the circuit breaker 1 of the above embodiment will be described.
According to the circuit breaker 1 of the above embodiment, the side surface of the engaging piece 25b of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b abuts on the first engaging surface 31a of the partition wall 31 and the first engaging surface 32a of the partition wall 32. The structure is such that the protrusions 24 of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b are inserted into the engaging grooves 33a and 34a of the pair of side plate insertion slits 33 and 34, so that the operating reaction force of the handle 16 can be reliably received. It can exert a fixing force.

Further, the tip portion 25b1 of the engagement piece 25b of one side plate 15a abuts on the lower surface of the partition wall side engagement portion 31c, and the tip portion 25b1 of the engagement piece 25b of the other side plate 15b is in contact with the partition wall side engagement portion 32c. The lower end edges of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b are inserted into the side plate insertion slits 33 and 34 of the bottom portion 30 in a state of being in contact with the lower surface of the opening and closing mechanism spring 19. It is possible to reliably exert the fixing force.

Further, since the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 is not fixed to the intermediate case 14 by screwing unlike the conventional device, it is not necessary to provide a space for rotating the screw inside the case 2, and it is a small circuit breaker. Even if it is 1, there is no structural restriction.

Moreover, in the circuit breaker 1 of the present embodiment, the protrusions 24 of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b are inserted into the engaging grooves 33a and 34a of the pair of side plate insertion slits 33 and 34, and the protrusion 24 of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b is engaged. The combined piece 25b is deformed so that the tip portion 25b1 abuts on the lower surface of the partition wall side engaging portion 31c, and the engaging piece 25b of the other side plate 15b is formed so that the tip portion 25b1 is on the lower surface of the partition wall side engaging portion 32c. Since the structure is only deformed so as to abut, it is possible to eliminate the need for strict component size control as compared with the structure in which the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 is fixed to the intermediate case 14 by press fitting as in the conventional device.

Furthermore, since the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 can be easily fixed to the bottom portion 30 of the intermediate case 14 simply by deforming the engaging pieces 25 of the pair of side plates 15a and 15b, the manufacturing cost of the circuit breaker 1 can be reduced. It can also be converted.

[Modification example]
Here, the shape of the plate-side engaging portion formed on the pair of side plates 15a and 15b is not limited to the engaging piece 25b in which the tip portion 25b1 described above abuts on the lower surface of the partition wall-side engaging portion 32c, for example. It may have the structure shown in FIG.

In the structure shown in FIG. 8, the tip portion 36a is first engaged by forming a slit 35 in the direction orthogonal to the first engaging surface 32a on the side edge of the side plate 15b (similar structure to the side plate 15a). An engaging piece 36 facing the mating surface 32a is formed.

Then, by using a tool such as a screwdriver to apply an external force in the direction of the arrow G1 to the engaging piece 36 to deform it, the engaging piece 36 is brought into contact with the lower surface facing the bottom 30 of the intermediate case 14 of the partition wall side engaging portion 32c. ..

By forming such an engaging piece 36 on the pair of side plates 15a and 15b, it is possible to reliably exert a fixing force with respect to the throwing input of the opening / closing mechanism spring 19 as in the above embodiment. Since the opening / closing mechanism portion 7 can be easily fixed to the bottom portion 30 of the intermediate case 14 simply by deforming the engaging piece 36, the manufacturing cost of the circuit breaker 1 can be reduced.

1 Circuit breaker 2 Case 3 Movable contact 3a Movable contact 4 Movable contact support 5 Fixed contact 5a Fixed contact 6 Power supply side terminal 7 Opening / closing mechanism 8 Load side terminal plate 9 Overcurrent tripping device 10 Arc extinguishing chamber 11 Case body 12 Cover 13 Lower case 14 Intermediate case 15 Opening and closing mechanism Frame body 15a, 15b Side plate 15a1, 15b1 Lower edge edge 15a2, 15b2 Side edge 16 Handle 17 Toggle link 18 Link mechanism 19 Opening and closing mechanism Spring 20 Handle side pin 21 Link side pin 22 Handle shutters 22a, 22b Name plate 23 Trip bar 24 Protrusion 25 Plate side engaging part 25a Inclined slit 25b Engaging piece 25b1 Engaging piece tip 30 Bottom of intermediate case 31, 32 Partitions 31a, 32a First engagement Surfaces 31b, 32b Second engaging surfaces 31c, 32c Partition side engaging portions 33, 34 Side plate insertion slits 33a, 34a Engaging groove 35 Slit 36 Engaging piece 36a Tip of engaging piece

Claims (2)

Inside the housing, the fixed contact, the movable contact that rotates so that the movable contact can contact the fixed contact of the fixed contact, the link mechanism connected to the movable contact, and the link mechanism are operated. An opening / closing mechanism unit is incorporated, and the opening / closing mechanism unit is a circuit breaker including a handle and an opening / closing mechanism spring that acts on an input / input to the link mechanism by operating the handle.
The housing-side engaging portion formed in the housing and the mechanism-side engaging portion formed in the opening / closing mechanism portion come into contact with each other.
A fixing force acts on the operating reaction force generated when the handle is operated and the throwing input of the opening / closing mechanism spring generated in the direction orthogonal to the operating reaction force, and the opening / closing mechanism portion is attached to the housing. A circuit breaker characterized by being fixed. The opening / closing mechanism portion includes an opening / closing mechanism frame made of a metal plate that rotatably supports the handle.
An engaging piece is formed in a part of the opening / closing mechanism frame body as the mechanism portion side engaging portion, and by deforming the engaging piece, the engagement piece abuts on the housing side engaging portion and the opening / closing mechanism portion is brought into contact with the housing side engaging portion. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein a fixing force is applied to the throwing input by fixing the circuit breaker to the housing.

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