JP7701209B2 - Circuit Breakers - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a circuit breaker.

Conventionally, circuit breakers equipped with auxiliary contact devices have been known. Patent Document 1 discloses a circuit breaker equipped with an auxiliary contact device for external output to notify the outside that the circuit of the circuit breaker is interrupted. The circuit breaker has contacts interposed in the electric circuit, a connecting bar that accumulates the biasing force of the contact interruption opening and closing mechanism, a tripping member that forcibly opens the contacts when an abnormal current flows, and an auxiliary contact device that outputs a signal when the connecting bar driven by the tripping member comes into contact.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-69844

When applying an auxiliary contact device to a conventional circuit breaker, as described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide the auxiliary contact device, as well as the connecting bar and tripping member that drive the auxiliary contact device, in a location separate from the contacts and the breaker switching mechanism that are interposed in the electric circuit. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure sufficient space within the circuit breaker in which the mechanism related to the auxiliary contact device can be installed.

As an example of a circuit breaker, a circuit breaker having three or more load side terminals is known. In this circuit breaker, two of the three or more load side terminals can be selected depending on the power usage of a load device connected to the circuit breaker, and wiring extending from the load device can be connected to the load side terminal. On the other hand, the one load side terminal that was not selected and members such as contacts connected to the load side terminal are not used for electrical conduction to the load device, so there is a demand for effective use of the terminals after selection.

The present disclosure aims to provide a circuit breaker that can be provided with auxiliary contacts while preventing the device from becoming too large.

A circuit breaker according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a plurality of power supply terminals electrically connectable to a power supply, a plurality of load terminals electrically connectable to a load device, and a plurality of contact parts each electrically connecting one power supply terminal to one load terminal, and a contact part selected from the plurality of contact parts according to the load device constitutes a main contact part capable of switching between a closed state in which a main electric circuit electrically connecting the power supply and the load device is formed and an open state in which the main electric circuit is not formed by an opening and closing operation, and at least one or more surplus contact parts other than the main contact parts among the plurality of contact parts constitute an auxiliary contact part that detects the closed and open states of the main contact part.

This circuit breaker has a plurality of power supply terminals, a plurality of load terminals, and a plurality of contact parts. Each contact part can electrically connect one power supply terminal and one load terminal. A main contact part is selected from the plurality of contact parts according to the load device. The main contact part switches between a closed state in which a main electric circuit electrically connecting the power supply and the load device is formed, and an open state in which the main electric circuit is not formed. Here, at least one or more surplus contact parts other than the main contact parts among the contact parts detect the closed state and the open state as auxiliary contact parts. Therefore, in a circuit breaker having a plurality of contact parts, after the main contact parts are selected, the surplus contact parts can be used as auxiliary contact parts. Therefore, in this circuit breaker, it is not necessary to secure space for providing a new auxiliary contact part in a space other than the contact parts. Therefore, this circuit breaker can provide auxiliary contacts while suppressing the increase in size.

In one embodiment of the circuit breaker, the auxiliary contact section may switch between a first connection state indicating a closed state when the main contact section is in a closed state and a second connection state indicating an open state when the main contact section is in an open state in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the main contact section. In this case, the auxiliary contact section can switch between the first connection state and the second connection state by performing the opening and closing operation of the main contact section, so that the closed state and the open state of the main contact section can be detected efficiently. In addition, the auxiliary contact section switches between the first connection state and the second connection state corresponding to the closed state and the open state of the main contact section, respectively. Therefore, for example, compared to an auxiliary contact that detects only one of the closed state and the open state of the main contact section, the auxiliary contact section can appropriately detect whether the main contact section is in a closed state or an open state.

In one embodiment of the circuit breaker, the auxiliary contact section may have a first auxiliary contact electrically connected to the load side terminal corresponding to the auxiliary contact section, a second auxiliary contact that contacts the first auxiliary contact when the main contact section is in a closed state, and a third auxiliary contact that contacts the first auxiliary contact when the main contact section is in an open state. In this case, for example, the first auxiliary contact can utilize a configuration related to a load side terminal that cannot form a main electric circuit. The auxiliary contact section can detect a closed state of the main contact section by contact between the first auxiliary contact and the second auxiliary contact. The auxiliary contact section can detect an open state of the main contact section by contact between the first auxiliary contact and the third auxiliary contact.

In one embodiment of the circuit breaker, the circuit breaker further includes a main body having a plurality of power supply side terminals, a plurality of load side terminals, and a plurality of contact parts, and a contact moving part that is supported movably relative to the main body and controls the opening and closing operations of the main contact parts and the auxiliary contact parts. When the contact moving part moves to one side, the main contact parts are closed, and the first auxiliary contact and the second auxiliary contact come into contact with each other in the auxiliary contact parts to form a first auxiliary electric circuit, and when the contact moving part moves to the other side, the main contact parts are opened, and the first auxiliary contact and the third auxiliary contact come into contact with each other in the auxiliary contact parts to form a second auxiliary electric circuit. In this case, the closed and open states of the main contact parts and the formation of each auxiliary electric circuit in the auxiliary contact parts are completed integrally by the movement of the contact moving part to one side or the other. For example, the formation of the first auxiliary electric circuit and the second auxiliary electric circuit does not require a mechanism independent of the formation of the main electric circuit. Therefore, the first auxiliary electric circuit when the main contact parts are closed and the second auxiliary electric circuit when the main contact parts are open can be efficiently formed.

In one embodiment of the circuit breaker, the circuit breaker has three or more power source terminals, three or more load terminals, and three or more contact parts, and the main contact parts may be two of the three or more contact parts selected according to the load device. In this case, the circuit breaker having three or more contact parts also has the same effect as the above-mentioned effect.

The circuit breaker disclosed herein can provide auxiliary contacts while minimizing size.

1 is a perspective cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a circuit breaker according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a closed state of the circuit breaker according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an open state of the circuit breaker according to the embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or equivalent elements are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description will not be repeated. The dimensional ratios of the drawings do not necessarily match those in the description. The terms "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are based on the state shown in the drawings and are for convenience only.

Figure 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing an example of a circuit breaker according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a circuit breaker according to an embodiment in a closed state. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a circuit breaker according to an embodiment in an open state. In the figures, the X and Y directions are horizontal directions, and the Z direction is vertical. The X, Y, and Z directions are axial directions that are orthogonal to each other in an orthogonal coordinate system in a three-dimensional space. Hereinafter, the direction along the XY plane is also referred to as the horizontal direction, and the Z direction is also referred to as the up-down direction. The circuit breaker 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3 electrically connects a power source (not shown) and a load device (not shown).

The circuit breaker 1 includes a plurality of power supply side terminals 30 electrically connectable to a power supply, a plurality of load side terminals 40 electrically connectable to a load device, and a plurality of contacts 10 electrically connectable between one power supply side terminal 30 and one load side terminal 40. The circuit breaker 1 includes, for example, three contacts 10a, 10b, and 10c, three power supply side terminals 30a, 30b, and 30c, and three load side terminals 40a, 40b, and 40c. The circuit breaker 1 further includes a main body 3, a zero-phase current transformer 5 for detecting leakage current, an electromagnetic tripping device 7 having a plunger 7a, a printed circuit board 9, and a contact movement unit 20. The printed circuit board 9 is equipped with a leakage current detection circuit that trips the electromagnetic tripping device 7 when a leakage current occurs. Note that elements mounted on the printed circuit board 9 are omitted.

The main body 3 is a housing that houses the zero-phase current transformer 5, the electromagnetic tripping device 7, the printed circuit board 9, three contact sections 10, the contact movement section 20, three power supply side terminals 30, and three load side terminals 40. The main body 3 has a right-side case 3a shown in Figures 1 to 3 and a left-side case (not shown). The right-side case 3a and the left-side case engage with each other to house all of the components within the main body 3, except for a portion of the operating handle 21, which will be described later. The right-side case 3a and the left-side case are formed approximately symmetrically.

The three power supply side terminals 30a, 30b, and 30c are arranged along the surface (back surface) of the main body 3 facing the negative direction in the X direction. The three load side terminals 40a, 40b, and 40c are arranged along the surface (front surface) of the main body 3 facing the positive direction in the X direction. For example, the power supply side terminals 30 and the load side terminals 40 are arranged in a vertical alignment of three terminals. On the back surface side of the main body 3, the power supply side terminals 30a, 30b, and 30c are arranged in order downward. On the front surface side of the main body 3, the load side terminals 40a, 40b, and 40c are arranged in order downward. The multiple contact parts 10 are arranged between the multiple power supply side terminals 30 and the multiple load side terminals 40 in the X direction. The contact parts 10a, 10b, and 10c are arranged in order downward.

The back surface on which the three power supply side terminals 30 are provided is formed as a surface extending in the vertical direction, and the front surface on which the three load side terminals 40 are provided is formed at an angle to facilitate the connection of the electric wires extending from the load device. Also, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, on the front side of the lowest load side terminal 40c, a blocking plate 90 having three holes separates the inside and outside of the main body 3. In this way, the front surface of the load side terminal 40c that is not connected to the load device is covered by the blocking plate 90 to prevent the intrusion of unnecessary dust and the like.

First, the multiple contact parts 10 will be described. Each contact part 10a, 10b, 10c electrically connects the power supply side terminal 30a, 30b, 30c to the load side terminal 40a, 40b, 40c, respectively. The contact part 10 selected from the multiple contact parts 10 according to the load device (not shown) constitutes the main contact part 11, and at least one or more surplus contact parts 10 other than the main contact part 11 among the multiple contact parts 10 constitute the auxiliary contact part 15. For example, the main contact part 11 is selected according to the voltage value or current value when the load device is used. In this embodiment, the main contact part 11 is composed of two contact parts 10a and 10b located at the top among the multiple contact parts 10. The auxiliary contact part 15 is composed of one contact part 10c located at the bottom among the multiple contact parts 10.

The main contact section 11 can be switched between a closed state in which a main electric circuit is formed connecting the power supply side terminal 30 and the load side terminal 40, and an open state in which the main electric circuit is not formed, by an opening and closing operation of the contact movement section 20. The main contact section 11 has, for example, a first power supply contact 12a and a second power supply contact 12b electrically connected to the two power supply side terminals 30a and 30b, respectively, and a first load contact 13a and a second load contact 13b electrically connected to the two load side terminals 40a and 40b, respectively. The first load contact 13a and the second load contact 13b are fixed in position within the main body section 3.

The first power contact 12a moves relative to the first load contact 13a by the contact movement unit 20 described later, and can be brought into contact with or separated from each other. The second power contact 12b moves relative to the second load contact 13b by the contact movement unit 20 described later, and can be brought into contact with or separated from each other. When the first power contact 12a and the first load contact 13a are in contact and the second power contact 12b and the second load contact 13b are in contact, a closed state in which a main electric circuit is formed is established. When the first power contact 12a and the first load contact 13a are separated, or when the second power contact 12b and the second load contact 13b are separated, an open state in which a main electric circuit is not formed is established. The contact or separation state of the first power contact 12a and the second power contact 12b and the first load contact 13a and the second load contact 13b is switched by the opening and closing operation of the contact movement unit 20.

In the closed state, a main electrical path is formed that electrically connects the power source and the load device. The main electrical path is a circuit configured such that, for example, the current emitted from the power source passes through the power source side terminal 30a, the first power source contact 12a, the first load contact 13a, the load side terminal 40a, the load device, the load side terminal 40b, the second load contact 13b, the second power source contact 12b, and the power source side terminal 30b in this order, and finally returns to the power source. A detailed method for forming the main electrical path will be described later.

The auxiliary contact unit 15 detects the closed and open states of the main contact unit 11. In conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the main contact unit 11, the auxiliary contact unit 15 switches between a first connection state indicating a closed state when the main contact unit 11 is in a closed state and a second connection state indicating an open state when the main contact unit 11 is in an open state. The auxiliary contact unit 15 outputs to the outside a signal indicating the first connection state when detecting the closed state, and outputs to the outside a signal indicating the second connection state when detecting the open state.

The auxiliary contact section 15 has a first auxiliary contact 16c electrically connected to the load side terminal 40c corresponding to the auxiliary contact section 15, a second auxiliary contact 16a that contacts the first auxiliary contact 16c when the main contact section 11 is in a closed state, and a third auxiliary contact 16b that contacts the first auxiliary contact 16c when the main contact section 11 is in an open state.

The first auxiliary contact 16c has metal surfaces that can be electrically connected on both the top and bottom. The position of the first auxiliary contact 16c is fixed within the main body 3. The second auxiliary contact 16a is located above the first auxiliary contact 16c. The second auxiliary contact 16a moves relative to the first auxiliary contact 16c by the contact movement unit 20 described below, and they can come into contact with or separate from each other. The third auxiliary contact 16b is located below the first auxiliary contact 16c. The third auxiliary contact 16b moves relative to the first auxiliary contact 16c by the contact movement unit 20 described below, and they can come into contact with or separate from each other.

The auxiliary contact section 15 further includes a conductor 17c electrically connected to the first auxiliary contact 16c via the load side terminal 40c, a conductor 17a electrically connected to the second auxiliary contact 16a, and a conductor 17b electrically connected to the third auxiliary contact 16b. The conductors 17a, 17b, and 17c are inserted into three holes provided in the blocking plate 90. The conductors 17a, 17b, and 17c are connected to, for example, an alarm device (not shown) provided outside the circuit breaker 1. The alarm device includes a first alarm section connected to the conductors 17c and 17a, and a second alarm section connected to the conductors 17c and 17b. The first alarm section and the second alarm section each include, for example, a light-emitting element that emits light toward the outside, and an auxiliary power source.

When the first auxiliary contact 16c and the second auxiliary contact 16a are in contact with each other, a first connection state is established in which the first auxiliary electrical circuit is formed by the conductors 17c and 17a and the first notification unit. When the first auxiliary contact 16c and the third auxiliary contact 16b are in contact with each other, a second connection state is established in which the second auxiliary electrical circuit is formed by the conductors 17c and 17b and the second notification unit. The contact states of the first auxiliary contact 16c and the second auxiliary contact 16a and the third auxiliary contact 16b are switched by the opening and closing operation of the contact movement unit 20, and the first auxiliary electrical circuit or the second auxiliary electrical circuit is formed.

The contact movement unit 20 is supported so as to be movable relative to the main body unit 3, and controls the opening and closing operations of the main contact unit 11 and the auxiliary contact unit 15. The contact movement unit 20 has an operating handle 21, a separator 23, an opening and closing mechanism unit 25, and a coil spring 27. The operating handle 21 is a tool that can be operated to pass (ON) or cut (OFF) electricity to the main electric circuit, the first auxiliary electric circuit, and the second auxiliary electric circuit.

The separator 23 opens and closes the contact portion 10. The separator 23 extends in the vertical direction and is formed in a cylindrical shape. The separator 23 is arranged along the front surface of the main body portion 3 in a state where it is constantly biased upward by a coil spring 27. The separator 23 houses each contact portion 10. Within the separator 23, the first load contact 13a, the second load contact 13b, and the first auxiliary contact 16c are fixed so as not to move with the separator 23 and not to change position relative to the main body portion 3. Within the separator 23, the first power contact 12a, the second power contact 12b, the second auxiliary contact 16a, and the third auxiliary contact 16b are fixed to the separator 23 so as to be movable with the separator 23.

The opening/closing mechanism 25 has a latch mechanism. The opening/closing mechanism 25 has an opening/closing mechanism that operates the separator 23 to cut off the contacts 10 when an electrical circuit abnormality such as a ground fault or an overcurrent occurs. The opening/closing mechanism 25 is formed integrally with the upper part of the separator 23, and is in a latched state in the closed state (on state) shown in FIG. 2, and keeps the separator 23 slid downward. Since the separator 23 is in an upwardly biased state, when an electrical circuit abnormality such as a ground fault or an overcurrent occurs, the latch mechanism (not shown) inside the opening/closing mechanism 25 unlatches due to the engagement of the tripping member 35 described below, and the separator 23 is released and slides upward as shown in FIG. 3 to cut off the electrical circuit (transition to the open state).

The three power supply side terminals 30 are configured to allow current from the power supply to flow to the contact section 10, and to allow current from the contact section 10 to flow to the power supply. The three power supply side terminals 30 have three terminal fittings 31, two strips 32, two bimetal pieces 33, two movable electromagnetic pieces 34, and a tripping member 35. The power supply side terminals 30a, 30b, and 30c each have terminal fittings 31, 31, and 31 formed in a roughly C-shape. The terminal fittings 31 are formed as plug-in terminals that are connected simply by inserting a conductor bar (not shown) arranged in the distribution board. Strips (conductor plates) 32, 32 are extended from the terminal fittings 31, 31 of the power supply side terminals 30b and 30c.

A bimetal piece 33 and a movable electromagnetic piece 34 are attached to the front side of the strip 32 in the X direction. The bimetal piece 33 detects overcurrent. The movable electromagnetic piece 34 detects short circuits. Both the bimetal piece 33 and the movable electromagnetic piece 34 are arranged facing the front side in the X direction and are attached so that they deform or rotate upward when an overcurrent or short circuit current is detected. The bimetal piece 33 and the movable electromagnetic piece 34, together with the electromagnetic tripping device 7, constitute an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormalities in the electrical circuit.

The tripping member 35 transmits the operation of the electromagnetic tripping device 7, the bimetallic piece 33, and the movable electromagnetic piece 34 to the opening and closing mechanism 25, and releases the latch of the opening and closing mechanism 25 to perform the cutoff operation. The tripping member 35 has a length that matches the arrangement of the three power supply side terminals 30, and is arranged vertically in parallel with the terminal arrangement, close to the three power supply side terminals 30 and sandwiching the abnormality detection unit. The tripping member 35 has multiple engagement parts (not shown) that engage with the electromagnetic tripping device 7 and the bimetallic piece 33 and the movable electromagnetic piece 34 provided in the electric paths of the two power supply side terminals 30b, 30c to transmit the abnormality detection operation to the opening and closing mechanism 25.

The three load side terminals 40 are configured to be able to pass current from the contact section 10 to the load device, and are also configured to be able to pass current from the load device to the contact section 10. Each load side terminal 40 has a terminal fitting 41. The terminal fitting 41 is formed as a quick-connect terminal that engages an inserted conductor (conductors related to the load side terminals 40a and 40b are not shown) to form an electrical connection. For example, the load side terminal 40c connected to the auxiliary contact section 15 is electrically connected to the conductor 17c. Each terminal fitting 41 also has a strip 42 extending rearward. The first load contact 13a, the second load contact 13b, and the first auxiliary contact 16c are connected to each end of each strip 42, respectively.

Next, the operation of detecting the closed and open states of the circuit breaker 1 will be described. First, the operation of detecting the closed state of the main circuit shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In the contact movement unit 20, for example, by manually operating the operating handle 21 to energize the contact, the separator 23 moves downward (to one side).

At this time, as the separator 23 moves due to the current application operation, the first power contact 12a moves downward and comes into contact with the upper surface of the first load contact 13a. The second power contact 12b moves downward together with the separator 23 and comes into contact with the upper surface of the second load contact 13b. The contact between the first power contact 12a and the first load contact 13a, and the contact between the second power contact 12b and the second load contact 13b, forms a main electrical circuit that electrically connects the power supply and the load device. In this way, the main electrical circuit is formed by the main contact portion 11 and the contact movement portion 20, and the closed state is achieved.

In addition, with the movement of the separator 23 due to the energization operation, the second auxiliary contact 16a moves downward and comes into contact with the upper surface of the first auxiliary contact 16c. At this time, with the movement of the separator 23 due to the energization operation, the third auxiliary contact 16b moves downward and separates from the lower surface of the first auxiliary contact 16c. As a result, the first auxiliary circuit is closed, and the first notification unit supplies current from the auxiliary power source to the light-emitting element, thereby making it possible to notify a light-emitting signal. On the other hand, the second auxiliary circuit is open, and the second notification unit cannot supply current from the auxiliary power source to the light-emitting element, so that the second notification unit cannot notify a light-emitting signal. In this way, the auxiliary contact unit 15 forms the first auxiliary circuit and does not form the second auxiliary circuit, so that when the main contact unit 11 is closed, it can be in the first connection state indicating a closed state. Therefore, the main circuit is closed by the contact unit 10 and the contact movement unit 20, the first auxiliary circuit is formed, and the first notification unit notifies that the main circuit is closed.

Next, the operation of detecting the open state of the main circuit shown in Figure 3 will be described. In the contact movement unit 20, the separator 23 moves upward (to the other side) by, for example, a manual interruption operation of the operating handle 21 or an unlatching operation of the opening/closing mechanism unit 25.

At this time, as the separator 23 moves due to the interruption operation, the first power contact 12a moves upward and separates from the upper surface of the first load contact 13a. As the separator 23 moves due to the interruption operation, the second power contact 12b moves upward and separates from the upper surface of the second load contact 13b. In this way, the main electrical path is no longer formed by the main contact portion 11 and the contact movement portion 20, and the open state is established.

In addition, with the movement of the separator 23 due to the interruption operation, the second auxiliary contact 16a moves upward and separates from the upper surface of the first auxiliary contact 16c. With the movement of the separator 23 due to the interruption operation, the third auxiliary contact 16b moves upward and comes into contact with the lower surface of the first auxiliary contact 16c. As a result, the second auxiliary circuit is closed and the second notification unit supplies current from the auxiliary power source to the light-emitting element, thereby allowing a light-emitting signal to be notified. On the other hand, the first notification unit cannot notify a light-emitting signal because the first auxiliary circuit is open and the first notification unit cannot supply current from the auxiliary power source to the light-emitting element. In this way, the auxiliary contact unit 15 forms the second auxiliary circuit and does not form the first auxiliary circuit, so that when the main contact unit 11 is open, it can be in a second connection state indicating an open state. Therefore, the main circuit is opened by the contact unit 10 and the contact movement unit 20, the second auxiliary circuit is formed, and the second notification unit notifies that the main circuit is open.

As described above, in the circuit breaker 1 of this embodiment, the main contact section 11 is selected from the multiple contact sections 10 according to the load device. The main contact section 11 switches between a closed state in which a main electric circuit electrically connecting the power source and the load device is formed and an open state in which the main electric circuit is not formed by opening and closing operations. Here, at least one or more surplus contact sections 10 other than the main contact section 11 among the contact sections 10 detects the closed state and the open state as the auxiliary contact section 15. Therefore, in the circuit breaker 1 having multiple contact sections 10, after the main contact section 11 is selected, the surplus contact section 10 can be used as the auxiliary contact section 15. Therefore, in this circuit breaker 1, it is not necessary to secure a space for newly providing the auxiliary contact section 15 in a space other than the contact section 10. Therefore, this circuit breaker 1 can be provided with an auxiliary contact (auxiliary contact section 15) while suppressing the increase in size. As an example of this embodiment, the circuit breaker 1 has three or more power source side terminals 30, three or more load side terminals 40, and three or more contact parts 10, and the main contact parts 11 are two of the three or more contact parts 10 that are selected according to the load device.

In the circuit breaker 1, the auxiliary contact unit 15 switches between a first connection state indicating a closed state when the main contact unit 11 is in a closed state and a second connection state indicating an open state when the main contact unit 11 is in an open state in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the main contact unit 11. In this case, the auxiliary contact unit 15 can switch between the first connection state and the second connection state by performing the opening and closing operation of the main contact unit 11, so that the closed state and the open state of the main contact unit 11 can be detected efficiently. In addition, the auxiliary contact unit 15 switches between the first connection state and the second connection state corresponding to the closed state and the open state of the main contact unit 11, respectively. Therefore, for example, compared to an auxiliary contact that detects only one of the closed state and the open state of the main contact unit 11, the auxiliary contact unit 15 can appropriately detect whether the main contact unit 11 is in a closed state or an open state.

In the circuit breaker 1, the auxiliary contact section 15 has a first auxiliary contact 16c electrically connected to the load side terminal 40c corresponding to the auxiliary contact section 15, a second auxiliary contact 16a that contacts the first auxiliary contact 16c when the main contact section 11 is in a closed state, and a third auxiliary contact 16b that contacts the first auxiliary contact 16c when the main contact section 11 is in an open state. In this case, for example, the first auxiliary contact 16c can utilize the configuration related to the load side terminal 40c that cannot form a main electric circuit. The auxiliary contact section 15 can detect the closed state of the main contact section 11 by contact between the first auxiliary contact 16c and the second auxiliary contact 16a. The auxiliary contact section 15 can detect the open state of the main contact section 11 by contact between the first auxiliary contact 16c and the third auxiliary contact 16b.

In addition, the circuit breaker 1 further includes a main body 3 on which a plurality of power supply side terminals 30, a plurality of load side terminals 40, and a plurality of contact parts 10 are provided, and a contact moving part 20 that is supported movably relative to the main body 3 and controls the opening and closing operations of the main contact part 11 and the auxiliary contact part 15. When the contact moving part 20 moves downward (one side), the main contact part 11 is closed, and the first auxiliary contact 16c and the second auxiliary contact 16a come into contact with each other in the auxiliary contact part 15 to form a first auxiliary electric circuit, and when the contact moving part 20 moves upward (the other side), the main contact part 11 is opened, and the first auxiliary contact 16c and the third auxiliary contact 16b come into contact with each other in the auxiliary contact part 15 to form a second auxiliary electric circuit. In this case, the closing and opening states of the main contact part 11 and the formation of each auxiliary electric circuit in the auxiliary contact part 15 are completed integrally by the downward (one side) or upward (other) movement of the contact moving part 20. For example, the formation of the first auxiliary electric circuit and the second auxiliary electric circuit does not require a mechanism independent of the formation of the main electric circuit. Therefore, the first auxiliary electric circuit when the main contact portion 11 is in the closed state and the second auxiliary electric circuit when the main contact portion 11 is in the open state can be efficiently formed.

[Modification]
Although various exemplary embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made. For example, a circuit breaker system including at least one of a power source, a load device, a first notification unit, and a second notification unit in addition to the circuit breaker 1 may be integrally formed.

For example, in the circuit breaker 1, any of the three contact parts 10 may be selected as the main contact part 11, and any of the contact parts 10 may be selected as the auxiliary contact part 15 as the surplus contact part 10. For example, in the above embodiment, the two contact parts 10a and 10b are the two main contact parts 11, but this is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the circuit breaker 1, when the contact parts 10a and 10c are selected as the two main contact parts 11, the contact part 10b may be selected as the auxiliary contact part 15. Also, when the contact parts 10b and 10c are selected as the two main contact parts 11, the contact part 10a may be selected as the auxiliary contact part 15. At this time, the load side terminal 40 to be connected to the load device is determined according to the position of the selected main contact part 11.

For example, the number of contact parts 10 in the circuit breaker 1 is not limited as long as it is plural. For example, the circuit breaker 1 may have two contact parts 10, or may have four or more contact parts 10. In this case, any of the multiple contact parts 10 may be selected as the main contact part 11, and any of the contact parts 10 may be selected as the auxiliary contact part 15 as the surplus contact parts 10. When the circuit breaker 1 has four or more contact parts 10, the circuit breaker 1 may select one of the contact parts 10 as the auxiliary contact part 15, or may select multiple contact parts 10 as multiple auxiliary contact parts 15. When the circuit breaker 1 has multiple auxiliary contact parts 15, the first connection state and the second connection state can be switched at each auxiliary contact part 15, so that the closed state and the open state of the main circuit can be more reliably notified.

In addition, the number of auxiliary contacts 15 and the configuration of the electric circuit and the notification unit related to the auxiliary contacts 15 may be set arbitrarily as long as the auxiliary contacts 15 are capable of detecting the closed state and the open state. For example, the auxiliary contacts 15 may switch between a connected state indicating either the case where the main contacts 11 are in a closed state or the case where the main contacts 11 are in an open state, and a non-connected state indicating the other state, in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the main contacts 11. For example, the connected state is a state in which the auxiliary electric circuit is formed by the auxiliary contacts 15, and the non-connected state is a state in which the auxiliary electric circuit is not formed. The auxiliary contacts 15 detect the open state and the closed state of the main contacts 11 based on the connected state and the non-connected state. Specifically, the auxiliary contacts 15 may not have either the first auxiliary electric circuit or the second auxiliary electric circuit. For example, the auxiliary contacts 15 may not have the third auxiliary contact 16b, the conductor 17b, and the second notification unit, which are components of the second auxiliary electric circuit. At this time, in the case of a closed state in which the main electric circuit is formed in the main contact unit 11, a first auxiliary electric circuit is formed, and the first notification unit is in a connected state in which the light-emitting element emits light. On the other hand, in the case of an open state in which the main electric circuit is not formed in the main contact unit 11, the first auxiliary electric circuit is not formed, and the first notification unit is in a disconnected state in which the light-emitting element does not emit light. Thus, the auxiliary contact unit 15 can switch between a connected state in which the closed state of the main electric circuit is detected by the emission of the light-emitting element in the first notification unit, and a disconnected state in which the open state of the main electric circuit is detected by the extinction of the light-emitting element in the first notification unit. Note that, for example, the auxiliary contact unit 15 may have the configuration of the second auxiliary electric circuit, but may not have the second auxiliary contact 16a, the conductor 17a, and the first notification unit, which are the configuration of the first auxiliary electric circuit.

The circuit breaker 1 may not include the main body 3 and the contact movement unit 20. In this case, for example, the second auxiliary contact 16a may be moved toward the first auxiliary contact 16c by using the current supplied by the main circuit in the closed state so that the auxiliary contact unit 15 assumes the first connection state. When the current is no longer supplied from the main circuit in the open state, the second auxiliary contact 16a may be physically moved away from the first auxiliary contact 16c by using the biasing force of a spring or the like.

1...circuit breaker, 3...main body, 10, 10a, 10b, 10c...contact section, 11...main contact section, 12a...first power contact, 12b...second power contact, 13a...first load contact, 13b...second load contact, 15...auxiliary contact section, 16a...second auxiliary contact, 16b...third auxiliary contact, 16c...first auxiliary contact, 17a, 17b, 17c...conductor, 20...contact movement section, 21...operation handle, 23...separator, 25...opening/closing mechanism section, 30, 30a, 30b, 30c...power supply side terminal, 40, 40a, 40b, 40c...load side terminal.

Claims (5)

A plurality of power supply side terminals electrically connectable to a power supply;
A plurality of load side terminals electrically connectable to a load device;
a plurality of contact portions electrically connected to the plurality of load side terminals, respectively ;
Equipped with
the contact portion selected from the plurality of contact portions according to the load device constitutes a main contact portion that can be switched by an opening and closing operation between a closed state in which a main electric circuit electrically connecting the power source and the load device is formed and an open state in which the main electric circuit is not formed;
At least one of the surplus contact portions other than the main contact portion among the plurality of contact portions is connected to the load side terminal that is not connected to the load device, and constitutes an auxiliary contact portion that detects the closed state and the open state of the main contact portion.
Circuit breaker. The circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary contact section switches between a first connection state indicating the closed state when the main contact section is in the closed state and a second connection state indicating the open state when the main contact section is in the open state in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the main contact section. The auxiliary contact portion is
a first auxiliary contact electrically connected to a load side terminal corresponding to the auxiliary contact portion;
a second auxiliary contact that comes into contact with the first auxiliary contact when the main contact portion is in the closed state;
a third auxiliary contact that comes into contact with the first auxiliary contact when the main contact portion is in the open state;
3. The circuit breaker of claim 1 or 2, comprising: a main body portion in which the power supply side terminals, the load side terminals, and the contact portions are provided;
a contact moving section supported movably relative to the body section and controlling opening and closing operations of the main contact section and the auxiliary contact section;
Further equipped with
When the contact moving portion moves in one direction, the main contact portion is brought into the closed state, and the first auxiliary contact and the second auxiliary contact come into contact with each other in the auxiliary contact portion to form a first auxiliary electric circuit;
When the contact moving portion moves to the other side, the main contact portion is brought into the open state, and the first auxiliary contact and the third auxiliary contact come into contact with each other in the auxiliary contact portion to form a second auxiliary electric path.
4. The circuit breaker of claim 3. Three or more of the power supply side terminals;
Three or more of the load side terminals;
Three or more of the contact portions;
Equipped with
The main contact portions are two of the three or more contact portions selected according to the load device.
A circuit breaker according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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